Redemption Song
by ShadesofShae
Summary: Sylar is reunited with an old friend, and they test each others' loyalties in a struggle to stay human. Starring: Mira an original character, Sylar, and other various Heroes cast members.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

The fugitive, and mass murdered, Sylar Gray, just got another power. As he shut the office door behind him, blood seeped out into the carpet. He walked into a bathroom and washed the blood off his hands. He grabbed a paper towel and left.

He spotted a car across the street. He broke in and started it up. He turned onto a busy street, and suddenly his car was impaled with a human body. He stopped and got out. A girl slumped across the hood of his car, with something sticking out of her back. He heard something behind him, but whoever it was, was gone. He grabbed the girl and threw her in the car. He walked back to where she had come from. He thought he saw someone disappear around the side of a building, but it was too late. They were gone. He went back to the car.

She was still breathing. He gave her a second glance, and he quickly sped off.

Sylar wondered how he had gotten here. Here, in a cold motel room, staring at some girl, who, in a way seemed vaguely familiar. He practically ran her down. He could have just kept going, but he stopped. He helped her. Since when did he become the hero? He shuddered at the thought. His thoughts were broken when she started to stir. She was just dreaming. Was she running away in her dream too?

He went to get a fresh bucket of ice. When he returned to the motel room, she was awake. He watched her moan in pain for a moment before coming in.

"What did you do to me?" she asked, panicked, as memories flooded in.

"Nothing." He turned towards the bathroom.

"Who are you?" she asked weakly.

"Your Savior."

"What?"

"I'm the guy whose car you hit when someone shot you. You're lucky I didn't speed up. It was pretty tempting." She had a flash of memory - she remembered running from someone, and being shot.

"What's your name?" He began to question her. Was she sent after him? She stared at him defiantly. "I'm not gonna bite." He chuckled to himself.

"Echo," she replied. He could sense she was lying and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Your real name?" He squeezed her shoulder tighter. She stared at him, in disbelief.

"What's it to you?" She shook his hand off as she stood up. She suddenly whipped around. Sylar slammed her into the wall, and held her there, telekinetically.

"It's Mira. My name is Mira." He raised an eyebrow. He knew a girl named Mira once. Could it be her? He lowered her to the ground, and loosened his grip a bit.

"I want to know what you're really doing here, Mira...who are you working with?"

"Working with? What the hell are you talking about?" He laughed lowly.

"Is this a set up?" he questioned, point blank.

"Set up? For what?! What the hell is going on? Who are YOU?!"

"Sylar. Don't act like you never heard of me."

"I don't know who the hell you are, or what makes you so SPECIAL, but I'm not here for you! I don't even know how I got here! You brought me here!" She was telling the truth.

"I'm supposed to believe you just ran into me, by chance? I avoid people. I'm not found unless I want to be," he growled. He pinned her against the bed. She struggled to get up, but his will was stronger.

"What's your power?"

"I don't have any power."

"Don't lie to me," he warned her. "I know you're lying."

He tightened his hold on her neck. She could feel the last of air escape her lungs. She choked on dry tears.

"Stop, please..." she choked out. She stared into his eyes, and fear seemed to take over him.

"What are you doing to me?!" he questioned, his grip loosened a little. His hand began to shake and he began to breathe heavily.

"Whatever you're doing, I'm taking." He telepathically began to slice open her head. A trickle of blood crept down her temple. Suddenly, he began to scream. She fell to the ground, exhausted. Sylar slumped against the wall. He felt the wound above his eye slowly close up. He wiped the blood off his brow and tended to her. She was still bleeding. What hell did she just do? She passed out on the floor, and he moved her to the bed.

She was dying. All that work and he wouldn't even get her power. He needed to act quickly - maybe this is the type of challenge his father talked about. He wiped his bloody hand across the wound on her head, and watched it stop bleeding. He found his pocket knife, cut his hand, and rubbed it across her forehead. The edges slowly began to crawl closed.

He stepped away from her, and looked at his hand. What had he just done? He saved her again? What if she got his power, permanently? He looked at the door. Maybe he should just leave - pretend this encounter never happened. She began to stir, moaning in pain. It was time to leave.

*


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Mira lay on the bed, half alive. She awoke for a moment, but the pain in her head was overwhelming. She cried as she writhed around in agony before passing out again.

When she came to, her eyes were still a blur. But she remembered this place… this room, where he brought her, this room where he tried to kill her. It was coming back to her. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on what just happened. He accused her of trying to get him. He tried to kill her. How did he hold her there, against the bed, without touching her? She remembered the pain in her head. That was the last thing she remembered before she blacked out.

As she reached towards her head, she noticed the blood all over her hands. She stumbled towards the bathroom, in shock. She leaned against the door frame for a moment, to regain her balance. She threw herself in front of the mirror. She gasped and began to cry. She touched her forehead. She gaped in shock when she realized there was just a small flesh wound. She splashed water on her face. The blood ran off, but it wasn't actively bleeding. She inspected the rest of her body. The dart wounds were still there, slightly bloody and bruised. Bruises and scrapes were all over her body from hitting Sylar's car. How long was she out?

She was more confused than ever. She went back into the bedroom. She had nothing with her. She must have dropped her bag when she was shot. The clock read 7:30pm. She didn't even know what day it was. She saw a duffle bag slouched in a chair and rummaged through it. There was a change of clothes, and a bag of toiletries. They must have been his. She grabbed the t-shirt and locked the dead bolt on the door and went into the bathroom.

She needed a shower. She slowly eased under the faucet, and the sting of the water smacking down on her bruises brought tears to her eyes. She sat down in the tub, brought her knees to her chest, and cried.

*

Sylar paced in front of the motel door. He didn't know why, but he had to come back. As soon as he left, he could feel her pain – the pain HE caused. She was still alive. Did his blood heal her? He was conflicted, and it clouded his judgment. He was being pulled in two different directions – feeding the hunger, and his seeming attraction to her. And, if things didn't work out, he could kill her later, if he wanted.

He decided to go back in. He turned the doorknob - it was locked. He laughed to himself and psychically unlocked it with ease. She was sitting on the bed, drying her hair as he busted in. She tried to scream, but he held her mouth shut with his will.

"Let's get down to business," he started. The door shut behind him, and seemed to lock itself. He cleared his throat. "I don't know you. I don't TRUST you. Normally in this situation, I would kill you. For some reason I couldn't, and I..." He stopped to collect himself. She began to cry. "I'm sorry, I over-reacted. I won't try to kill you again. I promise." He let the hold on her mouth go.

"Why?! Why would you try to kill me to begin with?"

"It's all I know how to do," he defended.

"Dude, you totally need a new hobby," she spat back. It annoyed him that she was right, just like his father.

"It's not a hobby - it's something I can't control. I needed to see your power."

"My power?" she whispered.

"You did something to me. You were screwing with my emotions. Whatever I did to you happened to me too, and I want to know how."

"So you sawed into my brain? You sick son of a bitch!"

"It's the only way I -"

"Find another way!" she shouted. He was silent. "This is something you can't control?" He nodded. "So how many other victims are in shady old motel rooms?" He looked away in shame.

"Too many." There was an awkward moment of silence.

"What's your name?"

"Sylar."

"Your real name." He stared at her, curious. Could he trust her?

"That's it."

"Now who's the liar?" She stared at his face. He felt familiar. Flashes of her childhood ran through her head. "Gabriel?"

"How did you---" she cut him off mid-sentence.

"I remember you," she whispered.

"It really is you," he pondered aloud. "I thought you were just some warped figment of my imagination." She laughed.

"Gabriel," she cooed. "I missed you." She rubbed her hand over his scruffy cheek. "You were the only person I ever trusted." He closed his eyes, remembering himself as a child, sitting in the dark, under his bedroom window, with her asleep on his shoulder.

A sudden smack across his cheek pulled him out of his memories. "Thanks for ruining that," she hissed. He hung his head, not knowing what to say. He couldn't deny the fact that he had just tried to kill her. She stood in the doorway to the bathroom.

"Don't ever hit me again," he warned.

"Don't ever try to kill me again," she threw back at him. His thoughts went back to their fight...she had done something to him. She was screwing with him.

"When I tried to kill you, uhm, just now, what exactly was that you did to me?" He asked, perplexed.

"Same thing you did to me. Doesn't feel good, does it?" she seethed.

"You have the same power as me? How?" He stared at her as she began to breakdown. "HOW?!" he yelled, growing more frustrated by the second. His forcefulness made her jump.

"You remember that old adage 'I'm rubber, you're glue....'?" He rolled his eyes. "I don't have your powers. It's like a self-defense. Whatever someone does to me happens to them too. I can't control it either," she admitted.

"So you reflect others' powers?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I never thought about it that way. I mean...maybe. More like I can reflect people's emotions and any pain they cause back onto them."

"You're an empath," he stated, directed more at himself than her. He was surprised that she hadn't lied to him yet.

"Whatever that is," she muttered.

"You're-" Sylar startled her when he reached for her shoulders. She shoved him away from her.

"Stay back, you sick son of a bitch. You just tried to kill me, in case you forgot." He let out a sigh of frustration.

"I already apologized for that," he groaned.

"I think we're beyond apologies at this point. Groveling couldn't hurt though. I think you kind of owe it to me."

"I don't owe you anything," he snapped back. "If anything, you owe ME." She crossed her arms and stared at him, disbelieving.

"Owe you? I didn't try to kill you."

"No. You just used me instead. Do you even remember? You'd crawl in my window every night for months, never saying a word, and then just...poof! You disappear. I never got an explanation."

"I didn't think I needed to explain myself to you," she spoke softly. "I figured you'd understand."

"You're the only thing I never could figure out! You just show up on my door step, and for some God-forsaken reason you cursed me with your presence every night. Then all of a sudden, you're gone, without a trace. Now you're here, and I...I just - I don't even know you!" He blasted her and she cringed with every word.

"Fine! You want to know why I came to you in the middle of the night?" she screamed at him.

"Obviously!"

"I was drawn to you! Something pulled me towards you. I can't explain it."

"What? Like Cupid?" he asked, sarcastically.

"My dad was a worthless ass. He was a nasty, pathetic drunk who would take his beatings out on me. At night, he'd go to the bar. I would sit in my window and watch him leave. While I was waiting one night, I was stuck with this pain in my chest. My heart was aching. I wasn't exactly a happy child, but this...this was overwhelming. As soon as he left, I just got up and followed the pain. It brought me to you. I saw you in the window. You were waiting for someone too…it was like you were waiting for me."

Sylar was silent. She was telling him the truth. He didn't know what to say. After a moment, he replied while staring at the ground, "I was waiting for my 'father' too. Only he never came back." Mira grabbed his hands.

"At least he wasn't there every night to physically assault you, and destroy your childhood."

"Yeah, well try witnessing you're father kill your mother..."

"What? I don't - " She ran her hand over his and he pulled away, as if she were contagious.

"Understand? How could you? And I didn't say that for sympathy so don't bother."

"How did your father kill your mother if your father abandoned you?" She tried to piece the puzzle together.

"It's a long story."

"I've got time." Sylar stared at her with frustration.

"I don't want to get into it." He remembered his father, selling him to his uncle and killing his mother. He closed his eyes.

"Woah. I-" she stopped. Her chest began to ache. "Oh man..." she whispered. "I'm sorry," she whispered as tears began to spill from her eyes. "I can feel your pain."

Sylar tried to calm himself down. He tried to think of something else. He sat next to her on the bed, and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "It's okay," he murmured. "I'm okay."

"I hated my father," she admitted.

"So you want me to kill him?" Sylar asked, nonchalantly.

"You're a little too late for that. He's already dead."

"You killed him?" Sylar's eyes sparkled with intensity.

"I didn't kill anyone - he killed himself! One night, I was outside smoking a cigarette; I didn't know he was home. When he saw me with the cigarette, he grabbed me by the hair, and I screamed. He lit 5 cigarettes, grabbed me, and before I knew it, he was burning me with them. I screamed and he doubled over in pain. The flesh on his side seemed to be burning off. Then, he choked me. I cried, and when I looked at him, he was crying too. I could barely breathe, and suddenly he started to gasp for air too. I blacked out and when I came to, he was dead. A bruise around his neck like someone strangled him. Cigarette burns on his stomach, just like mine."

"That's amazing," he whispered, lying back with his hands behind his head, almost dreaming of what he could do with her powers.

She began to cry, and laid her head on Sylar's chest. He felt tears well up in his eyes, and he shook it off.

"Don't just expect me to be your knight-in-shining armor - that's not how I roll."

"Yeah, well obviously. I didn't want a knight in shining armor anyway. I just needed someone to share my pain."

"So I had to suffer too?"

"You already were."

"Got me there."

*


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"So explain your powers to me again," Sylar stared at Mira as she closed her eyes. It was late. They had been talking most of the night. Well, Mira was talking most of the night; Sylar did most of the listening.

"I can feel other people's emotions. Once, I thought I made someone feel what I was feeling."

"So you could just cry and make other people cry? You could make people love you or hate you." Sylar smirked, ideas clicking away in his mind. She nodded.

"I guess. Not that I've ever really tried, but yeah."

Sylar licked his lips. "I want you to try it. I want you to try it on me." She shook her head.

"I can't. I don't know how to control it."

"Just try," Sylar whispered.

"I'm exhausted. I don't have enough energy to even try."

"Do IT!" he commanded. She jumped, startled. She focused on him, and within moments, a single tear trickled down his cheek. He began to sob profusely. "Please stop," he begged. She continued to keep her hold on him. "Stop!" he telepathically shoved her off the bed. She hit the floor hard.

"I told you, I can't control it!" she screamed.

"You'll learn."

"I don't want to do this," she whispered.

"Don't you understand how special you are? There's so much we could do - I mean, you could do. You could control the world..."

"I could create peace on earth..." she whispered in awe. Sylar rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, whatever you do, you're powerful. You need to learn how to defend yourself."

"From who?"

"From who? Someone shot you. You think this is over?"

"I didn't think about it..." she trailed off, and her eyes grew wide." Are they gonna kill me?"

"If they wanted you dead, they wouldn't have shot you with tranquilizers."

"What's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know. Have any enemies?" He eyed her suspiciously. She wracked her brain.

"None that I'm aware of."

"What were you doing when you were attacked?"

"I had the day off of work," she tried to remember. "I went to the grocery store, and was going home."

"Do you live by yourself?" he questioned.

"No - I'm a nanny. I live with a woman who just separated from her husband, and her two sons."

"A nanny?" A look of disgust crossed his face.

"Yeah, I like kids."

"Why?"

"They're just interesting little creatures. They're way more emotionally stable than adults."

"Did any of them have powers?" he wondered. She shrugged.

"Never saw anything weird. I don't know. Heidi and I weren't super-close. And Simon and Monty didn't seem to be anything more than regular boys."

"What was her name?"

"Heidi. Heidi Petrelli." Sylar was surprised by this answer. Senator Nathan Petrelli's estranged wife?

"Have you met her husband?" he asked, nervously. She shook her head.

"I think he worked for the government or something."

"Something like that," he muttered as he gazed off into space.

*

Mira's eyes gleamed as she played with her new found abilities. Sylar was right, she never knew what she had. She couldn't believe how patient he was with her. She had only been with him for two days, and he had taught her so much. Before, her power only seemed to be a self-defense tactic, but now, she had an offense- an arsenal. Now she could manipulate peoples' emotions, and have them feel what others felt. She could reflect her own feelings onto other people as well. She could read people, almost like a lie-detector.

Sylar left in the middle of the night. He snuck out once he thought she was asleep. She listened silently as he grabbed his coat and crept out of the room. She wanted to know what he was doing, but knew it was something she didn't want to be a part of. She didn't even know why she was there with him. She knew he had killed before, yet it almost wasn't real to her. That was someone else, in her eyes.

When he returned, she could sense his underlying frustration, even though he hid it the best he could. It was hard for her to connect to Sylar. He had walls built up, and all she could think of was breaking them down. She so badly wanted to get inside his head. She had to know more about him.

"What's up with you?" Mira asked, lying upside down on the bed as Sylar walked through the door.

"What?"

"Why is it you ask me a zillion questions, yet you sneak out in the middle of the night and don't say a word."

"I don't have to explain myself to you," he argued.

"Why? Out killing someone else?" Sylar shrugged in response.

"I haven't done that since the day I met you," he responded.

"Wow. A whole 48 hours. Congratulations! So, exactly how many people have you killed?"

"A few." She raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. He began to count in his mind. "I don't know. 30? 50?" her jaw dropped.

"Wow. You're sick." She began to feel nauseous. It was suddenly real. She realized just what a monster he was. "I think I'm going to be sick..." she mumbled as she ran to the bathroom. She locked the door behind her. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew he had killed before, but 50 people? It couldn't be true.

"Mira. Mira! Please, don't do this. You asked me."

"Why? Why would you kill so many people?"

"We've already discussed this. I don't know. This...hunger...it comes with my power. I can't help it sometimes, and now I'm being hunted for it. I killed most of those people in self-defense," he lied.

"So the ones that weren't self-defense…Did you enjoy it?"

"Of course not," he whispered. She could sense tension when she asked him. She assumed he was lying.

"Did you regret it?"

"Sometimes," he answered honestly. He remembered Elle, and she felt his grief.

"I believe you," she whispered. He looked up at her, baffled – he never had someone care for him unconditionally before. It was so foreign. "But…you were lying when you said you didn't enjoy it."

"You know, you're almost as good as me."

"As good as you?" She raised her eyebrow, intrigued.

"I can tell when people are lying."

"Oh really? What else can you do?"

"Too much," he whispered. He manifested a globe of electricity in his palm and played with it for a moment before it disappeared. Mira watched in awe. Sylar grabbed a knife, and Mira jumped. "I told you, I won't hurt you," he reminded her. He used the knife on himself, and ran it over his wrist. Blood drizzled out. Mira gasped and clutched onto his wrist. He laughed. When she removed her hand from the wound, it was gone. The skin looked like it was never broken. Mira smacked him.

"Don't EVER do that to me again!" she cried. He chuckled to himself as he got up from the bed. "Where are you going?!" she yelled. He walked out the door and soon returned with a dandelion.

"I'm sorry I scared you," he whispered as he held the small weed in front of her. She rolled her eyes.

"You couldn't find any roses?" He glared at her. She looked away uncomfortably and then back at him. She stared at the dandelion in disbelief as the little yellow weed turned to solid gold in his hand. Sylar slid its stem behind her ear. She felt the flower, cold against her ear. She closed her eyes, and smiled.

"And that's just the tip-" he was cut off when she gently brushed her nose against his cheek. He couldn't resist, and pulled her close. He began to kiss her, and then abruptly pushed her away.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He stood up.

"I can't do this, I'm not the man you want me to be," he admitted. His pain settled into rage. "I just admitted I'm a monster - I'm a murderer. Why are you still here?"

"That's a good question," she pondered aloud. "I don't know..."

"You need to leave."

"And go where? I don't even know where I am!" she exclaimed, suddenly becoming panicked.

"As far away from me as you can," his voice almost pleaded with her.

"I don't want to. I want to help you."

"You can't help me - no one can." He left without a word. A tear fell down her cheek. He wiped a tear from his eye and frowned. He knew he couldn't stay there with her; he would just hurt her in the end.

*


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Mira stayed in the room that night, hoping he would come back. She laid in the bed wide-eyed, unable to sleep. She couldn't wrap her head around the absurdity of the last 48 hours. How did she end up there? How did she end up having these strange feelings for a serial killer?

She tried to remember him as a boy. He was tall, lanky and slightly awkward…almost geeky with his chunky black glasses and side-parted hair. When she would leave for his house in the middle of the night, he would always sit under the window with her, their backs against the wall, reading comics. She would watch him as he flipped through the books, gazing in awe at the pictures. She could feel his longing for the same…she could feel his need to be special.

He was special, to her anyway. He was her safe place. He protected her. He cared for her, she could tell. So how did he become what we was now? How did he go from a caring, sweet, super-hero obsessed boy, to the villain? Maybe he just needed some guidance. Maybe she could help him become the hero he dreamed of being at one time.

Mira's eyes became heavy, and she finally drifted to sleep. She awoke late the next morning. He never came back. She sat up and stretched. Mira looked around the room – it was empty, besides a TV across the room, the bed, a phone, and the Bible on the nightstand. She picked up the phone, and thought about making a call. She changed her mind, and got up. It was time for her to leave, too.

*

Mira left the motel room and shielded her eyes from the sun. It was blindingly bright. She didn't know where to go. Should she look for him? Should she just move on and start her life over again? Should she go back to Heidi? She began walking down the street, wandering past a gas station and other random businesses. She stared at a pizza place in front of her – she would kill for a slice of pie right now. She checked her front pockets. She pulled out a crumpled $5 bill. It was enough for a slice of pizza and a drink.

She wandered into a small pizza shop. She sat in the corner by herself, watching, feeling the people around her. She chewed on a pizza crust as she contemplated what her next move would be.

A young couple across from her caught her attention. They were smiling, feeding each other bites of their own food. She felt herself grow jealous as she watched them. She never had that. Suddenly, their mood changed. They began to argue, and the girl got up, and threw a soda in her boyfriend's face. She stormed off, leaving all eyes on him. Mira could feel the boy's embarrassment as he was left there alone. Was she picking up on the girl's already existing jealousy, or did she make the girl jealous?

She sighed as she reached across the table for the parmesan cheese. She couldn't reach it without getting up. She wished it would grow legs and walk to her. Suddenly it began to shake and was in her hand. How did it get there – on its own?

She immediately began to feel sick. She was sensing the feelings of everyone around her. She felt like she was suffocating and got up to leave. It was overwhelming. Mira suddenly felt dizzy. She collapsed in the middle of the floor.

*

"Can you tell me your name?" Mira came to in the back of an ambulance. A paramedic shone a light in her eyes. "What's your name?" he repeated.

"Mira," she choked out.

"Its okay, Mira - you collapsed in the middle of Dinozo's Pizzeria. We're taking you to the hospital now."

She whimpered as her head began to throb. "I can't..." She tried to sit up, but her head was swimming. "I can't go there, they'll find me there," she begged.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we have to take you to the hospital. You collapsed. You need medical treatment."

Mira became nauseous and tried to roll onto her side. That's when he saw her back. It was bruised, black and purple. Three raised bumps, like mosquito bites, nestled in the bruise. A nice-sized scratch was on her forehead.

"Mira, were you attacked? What happened to your back?"

"I was shot," she mumbled. "Poison darts." She vomited over the side of the gurney. The paramedic pushed her hair out of her face, and wiped her face with a towel. "Sylar," she whispered.

"Did he do this to you?" She began to lose consciousness. "I can help you. I'm Peter."

He grabbed her hand, and suddenly he was overwhelmed with emotion. She felt her power draining for a moment before pulling away from him.

"Peter," she whispered. "What are you doing?" she slurred out.

"Wow, what did you just do to me?" he wondered.

"Is - is it gone?" she whispered, staring at her hands. "You stole it...you...stole...."

"I didn't steal anything. It's okay, we're gonna get you some help." Peter tried to wrap his mind around what happened to her. Did she really survive a fight against Sylar?

"Give it back..." she fell quiet. He checked her vitals - she wasn't breathing.

"Code blue!" he called out. Another paramedic came to help. He began CPR and she started breathing again. They hooked an IV into her arm and strapped on an oxygen mask. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, but I'll fix it," he murmured into her ear.

*

Mira woke up on a sunken in sofa. She was covered in a thin quilt in a dimly lit room. To her own surprise, she was comfortable. But that soon ended as she heard voices in another room.

"Why did you bring her here?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

"I need your help. She's like us. I think she was attacked...by Sylar. We could use her against him."

"How do you know it was him?"

"When she was in the bus, before she passed out she said something about poison darts and said his name. I touched her hand and I felt some type of power transfer over, but I don't even know what she does. I thought maybe you could...you know...talk to her," Peter hinted.

"This isn't Sylar's MO. If Sylar had her, she'd be dead by now."

"I don't know. Why else would she say his name? I need you to find out..."

"So, okay, wait. You kidnap a woman that's somehow involved with Sylar, and bring her to my home? And you want me to torture her by reaching into her head and pulling out her inner thoughts?"

Mira, listening from the hallway, gasped in fear. The men heard her and headed towards her.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed. Peter backed away.

"It's okay, we're not going to hurt you," he explained calmly. "We want to help you." She whimpered as they both inched closer.

"You kidnapped me? You want to saw into my brain!" she screamed. Peter looked to his friend.

"No, Mira. You told me you didn't want to go to the hospital. Remember? In the ambulance?"

"Mira, I'm Matt," his friend introduced himself. "I won't hurt you. I don't saw into people's brains. I'm a telepath. I can read minds."

_Its okay, calm down..._Matt told her, mentally. _Sit down on the sofa, you need your rest…_he telepathically commanded. She slowly sat down.

"Do you think you could give us a minute, Matt?" Peter asked.

"Sure. You guys want something to eat? Drink?" Mira shrugged as he left the room.

"Mira, I'm Peter. Do you remember me? In the ambulance?" She nodded. "What happened to you? Did Sylar attack you?"

"How do you know him?" she asked defensively.

"Let's just say we have a lot of history," Peter concluded. Mira looked down in shame. "You said something about poison darts. Did he shoot you with them?" She shook her head. "What happened?" he urged her. Matt returned to the room with a bowl of soup and glass of water.

"Dude, spaghetti-o's?" Peter whispered in Matt's ear.

"It's all I had," Matt said as he sat the bowl on the table and handed her the glass of water.

"What happened, Mira?" Peter asked again, refocusing. "What did he do to you?" Mira took a bite of spaghetti-o's. She was famished.

"I was attacked on a street corner two days ago. Sylar rescued me, nursed me back to health, then he left. I went to the pizza place, and when I left I passed out. Now I'm here," she said nonchalantly. She decided to leave out the part where he tried to kill her.

"Who attacked you, before you met Sylar?" Matt questioned.

"I don't know. I was walking down the street a few nights ago, and I heard someone behind me. I began to run, and as I tried to cross the street, I was shot in the shoulder. I felt my knees buckle as a car approached me. It was Sylar - he almost ran me over, but stopped to help."

"Are we talking about the same Sylar?" Matt whispered to Peter.

"When I touched your hand in the ambulance, I felt a force move through me. Do you have a power?" Peter spoke softly to her. She hesitated. Suddenly her head began to pound.

"She's an empath," Matt answered. His head began to pound as well. "Ow...what the hell?" he asked, clutching his head.

"It's a defense mechanism. I can reflect other people's emotions and the pain they cause back on them."

"Is that all you can do?" Matt asked.

"I can make people feel however I want them to. If I want to make you cry, or angry, or euphorically happy...I can." Peter stared at her in disbelief. He turned to face Matt.

"What the-" Matt stopped talking and a smile crept on his face. "What are you...I mean, wow, I'm just...happy." Mira giggled.

"Did you use this on Sylar?" Pete wondered.

"No. Well, yes and no. He made me practice on him. He said I needed to control my power and learn to defend myself. But I never, like, forced him to be something he wasn't. He helped me on his own merit."

"Did you know him before you met him? Do you know the things he's done?" She looked away from Peter and stalled.

"No…I didn't know who he was when he rescued me," she replied. "But, he did make me aware of what he's done in the past."

"No, she knew him before that. They were teenagers," Matt tried to concentrate on her memories.

"He wasn't a killer then. He was just some kid that lived down the street from me. We both had miserable childhoods and hung out once in a while."

"She found him with her power. He was her protector." Matt muttered.

"Stay out of my head!" Mira yelled as she clutched her ears.

"It's ok Matt. You don't need to do that right now. Let her rest, she's been through a lot," Peter reminded him. "Mira, you passed out in the restaurant because you were dehydrated and fatigued. I want you to stay here with Matt tonight. Get your strength back. I'll come and check on you in the morning." Matt agreed and Peter left.

"So, Mira…I don't want to pry, but you have to tell me something," Matt began. She cocked her head at him. "I saw inside your mind. You're hiding one of your talents. What is it?"

"What talents?"

"Your powers. You're stronger than you let on."

"I...well, I never really tried anything big, but...I think I'm telekenetic too." She concentrated on a quarter on the table. It began to shake, and suddenly started to spin on its edge. Just as quickly it dropped back down on the table. Matt smiled.

"You're really something el..." He trailed off and stared off into space, smiling. "You're doing it again, aren't you?" She laughed and his mouth relaxed.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you. I don't know why, but I do feel safe here."

"Well it's not much, but its home," he admitted, sheepishly. She smiled.

"Yeah, so thanks. I think I'm just going to sleep, I'm exhausted."

"If you want to take a shower, the bathroom's right down the hall."

"I'd like to, but what's the point? I don't have any clean clothes."

"I can find you something to sleep in," he offered. She nodded and stood up. He led her down the hallway to the bathroom and left for his bedroom.

When she returned, there was a pair of women's pajamas and another change of clothes for the next day.

"I never really saw you as a 'pink' kinda guy," she teased, holding up a magenta ruffled camisole. He smiled shyly and looked away.

"They're not mine. They were my girlfriend's," he admitted. She raised her eyebrow at him, perplexed.

"So you kept your ex's clothes? That's kinda creepy."

"Uhm, no, actually, she died. I just didn't know what to do with her stuff." The pain in her chest resurfaced, and a tear slid down her cheek.

"Matt, I'm sorry. I didn't…"

"It's okay. What happened, happened." She began to cry and grabbed him. She pulled him closely and held him tightly. He hugged her back. "Thank you," he whispered. She nodded against his chest. "I'm sorry you had to feel that," he admitted.

"It's okay. I think I'm getting used to it," she noted as she dried her eyes. "I'm sorry you had to live that." There was a moment of awkward silence.

"Okay, so yeah…I'm going to bed," he said as he stepped away from her. She smiled a pitiful smile and sat down on the couch.

"Good night," she whispered. A smile crept on his face, slowly.

"Stop doing that," he laughed nervously. She laughed too, and his face returned to normal. "It is kinda nice, in a way…" he murmured as he walked away.

*


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Peter returned the next morning. Mira felt her back sticking to the tattered leather sofa as she tried to roll over. She wanted to go back to sleep, but she could hear Matt and Peter talking. She pretended that she was asleep, hoping to overhear something of importance. When they grew quiet, she finally sat up.

"Good morning," she said softly, with a smile. Both med stared at her from the kitchen, smitten, as she stood up and stretched her arms overhead with a big yawn.

"Want some coffee?" Matt asked, holding up his own mug. She nodded. "I made some breakfast too…"

"Sure…" she agreed. She sat at the table, and he placed a plate in front of her. "French toast…my favorite!" she exclaimed. Matt smiled.

"I know," Matt acknowledged.

"I told you to stay out of my head, man…" she warned him before shoving a piece of French toast into her mouth. A dribble of maple syrup ran down her chin. He handed her a napkin.

"After you eat, you need to get dressed. We have a mission today," Peter informed her.

"What are we doing?" she asked, perplexed.

"Meeting up with a friend," Peter responded.

*

"So...where are we going?" Mira asked Peter as they crossed a busy street.

"I have a friend who may be able to help you."

"Help me? How?"

"He's a scientist. He can help you understand your powers. He may be able to help us find out who was after you and why." She nodded as they approached the door to his lab. They rang the bell.

"Peter?" Dr. Mohinder Suresh was surprised to see the familiar face on his doorstep. "To what do I owe this visit?" He inquired, suspiciously.

"I was hoping you could help my friend," Peter said, as he motioned towards her.

"Mohinder - this is Mira," Peter introduced them.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mira. What can I do for you?" he asked, politely.

"Peter said you could maybe help me with my powers…" she suggested. He looked at Peter, disapprovingly.

"Do you mind if Peter and I have a word in private?" he asked as he drug Peter aside. She shook her head.

"Peter…you know I don't involve myself in these things anymore. I'm not my father," he reminded him.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I'm just concerned about her."

"Who is she?"

"She's one of us," Peter countered.

"I assumed that…how do you know her?"

"I went back to work as a paramedic, and I got the call when she collapsed in a pizza parlor. I touched her hand in the ambulance, and I could feel she had powers. I promised her I'd help her in any way I could."

"I guess I'll do what I can to help," Suresh promised with a defeated sigh. "So Mira, what can you do?"

She demonstrated her powers on Peter. She had him on his knees, crying. She made him laugh hysterically. She made him fall in love with her.

"I must say, that is a very powerful gift you have. Can you do anything else?" She was silent, trying to decide if she wanted to share more.

"A few days ago, I noticed that I can move things, psychically." She focused on a pencil on his desk. It began to roll back and forth.

"You're telekenetic too," he noted. He wrote some notes on a piece of paper. "You said a few days ago...that's the first time you've noted this capability? What about the Empathy?"

"I think the empathy has always been there, as far back as I can remember. In high school, I could sense people's feelings towards one another. It was sickening, sometimes overwhelming. But yes, the telekinesis just suddenly appeared within the past 4 days." He nodded as she explained. "I can also seem to sense when someone's lying or telling the truth."

Peter stared at her shoulder, thinking about the bruising and puncture-wounds in the ambulance. He slowly pulled the neck down on her shirt.

"What are you-" she was cut off.

"I just want to see your shoulder," Peter replied. She sighed and pulled up the back of her shirt. He touched her right shoulder-blade. "It's gone," he whispered.

"What is?" Mohinder asked. Mira turned around to face Peter.

"The 3 puncture-wounds where I was shot with poison darts...3 days ago," she replied. She pulled her shirt back down. "So what's that mean, exactly?"

Peter raised an eyebrow. "That's awfully quick for wounds like that to heal. You may have some regenerative properties as well," Mohinder answered.

"It's so weird. I didn't know what my powers were, and now that I'm learning to control them, all of a sudden, new things are popping up," she trailed off, as she glanced out of the window. She thought she saw someone watching.

"Mohinder, she said she knew Sylar," he whispered. Suresh's face clouded with worry.

"She's lucky to be alive. Doesn't she realize who he is?" he asked in disbelief.

"I told her." He looked at her, with pity. "I think we've got another problem though,"

"She's either absorbed some of his powers, or they were transferred to her...somehow," Mohinder finished. Peter nodded.

"Maybe if she stays away from him, she won't grow any stronger. But any powers she comes in contact with, she may have the potential to absorb."

"Mira," Suresh began. "I'm afraid your power may be more complex than you realize." She turned her head to him, listening.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I've seen many different types of absorption powers. There are some that people that take another person's gift and leave them powerless. There are some that can only mirror powers of another person when they're near them. There are some that can only hold one power at a time, and others that can absorb as many as they want to."

"So, what am I?"

"Well, it's hard to say. However, if I'm correct, you probably absorb powers from people over extended periods of exposure. You could become extremely powerful if you spend months, maybe even years with someone."

"So if I absorb powers, that means I absorbed the empathic powers?"

"Quite possibly. Mira, tell me, was anyone in your family special?"

She shook her head. "No. My father probably would have used his powers to kill me if he had any. My mother..." she trailed off. "My mother was very distant. She would spend days in her bedroom at a time, not eating, not sleeping. Maybe she did have this power." Her brain began to work overtime. Could I end up like her?

"It's very likely that's where your empathy came from."

"So, unless she is with someone for a long time, she will absorb very little of their powers?" Peter asked.

"It looks so," Mohinder reassured. "Mira -" Suresh touched her shoulder, and she suddenly snapped out of it. "Peter told me you know Sylar?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes, I know all about him and I'm not scared."

"Well you should be," he responded. "He's tried to kill me several times. He killed my father, Peter's father, and even his own mother. You don't know what he's capable of."

"He promised me..." she trailed off. She stared out the window; she felt eyes on her again.

"Peter, I'm concerned," Suresh pulled him aside.

"I know. I just don't understand how she can be drawn to someone like him."

"If she's around him too long, she could become just like him." She listened to his words and stood up.

"That won't happen. I can change him. I can make him happy. I can take away his pain. I still have my empathic powers, which he doesn't," she argued.

"And what if you can't? Mira, you could BECOME him. Are you prepared to become a monster?" Suresh warned. She ignored his advice.

"I need to go to my parents' home. I need to go back there. I need to see my mother. I need to know," she whispered. She got up to leave.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mohinder asked.

"Mira, if someone was targeting you before, your parents' home may be one of the first places they'd go. What if Sylar comes looking for you?"

"I don't care. I need to find her."

"Then I'm going with you," Peter offered.

"I can do this on my own," she stated defiantly.

"But you don't have to. Let me help you." She looked at him, struggling to keep her pride in check.

"Fine," she agreed. They thanked Mohinder and left.

*


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"So you grew up around here?" Peter inquired. She nodded.

"Yeah, grew up right on this street," she answered.

"At Matt's, you said Sylar lived in your neighborhood..." She pointed to a house ahead of them, on the right.

"That one right there." She stared at the home, windows boarded with one broken in. Most of the homes surrounding them were empty - just a memory of a busy street filled with children and families.

"Matt said you sought him out, how did you two meet?"

"I don't really think we should be talking about this," she shook her head and continued. "I don't know if I should be talking to you about him. I don't want you to hurt him." Peter laughed.

"I'm not going to go track him down and kill him, if that's what you're worried about. I'm not a killer. I guess I'm just curious..."

"Curious about?"

"Well...I just wonder if he was ever human," he said quietly.

"He's still human, Peter. He's just lost his way..." she defended.

"Once, I absorbed the ability to travel through time. I went to a future, where Sylar wasn't Sylar anymore. He was Gabriel. He treated me like a brother. He saved my life once, too." She nodded as she listened.

"I wonder what would have changed him," she wondered aloud.

"In the future, he had a son...Noah. I guess having kids can change a person."

"Wow. I just can't picture it. Was he married?" She almost hoped he would say yes, that they could live together happily.

"Neither could I. No, he was alone. I don't know who Noah's mother was, or where she was. I assumed it was Elle." Peter stared at his feet as he walked along the pavement. "But things have changed. The future isn't the same anymore. Elle's gone, there's no little Noah. He may just stay the same forever."

They arrived at her old home.

"Who's Elle?" she questioned. He sighed.

"It's complex. She's the last girl he was linked with. She went missing some time ago." He could feel the pain in her chest as she thought about it. She looked down, and then gazed up at the house. The windows were boarded up, the building was condemned. Mira took a deep breath as she stared at the old house looming in front of them. She hadn't been back here since her father died.

"I don't think anyone's here," Peter suggested.

Mira ignored him and went through the back yard. She walked up the steps where her father had died. She became extremely nervous, all of those feelings seeping back in. Peter had her powers, and could sense the fear. He took her hand.

"I know you're scared, but it's okay. I'm here with you. Nothing's going to happen," he soothed her.

They walked through the backdoor. The house was empty. She could remember the old console television in the corner. The gray flowered couch and beaten up leather recliner. That was her father's chair. The chair he'd fall asleep in, drunk, every night. She slowly went up the stairs.

Her bedroom was the first on the left. She walked into the bedroom. The walls had cracks in them; an old box-spring was shoved in the corner. A cockroach ran past their feet. An old teddy bear laid on the ground. She picked it up, and felt it. She remembered hiding under her bed with that bear, hiding from her father. They left the room, and she entered her mother's room. Her bed was still in the same place, but it was stark. No pillows, no sheets. There was a box in the corner of the room, eaten away by moths. She pulled out some random rubbish, and stared at the things in front of her. She looked around where she was sitting, the hardwood floor was stained. Was it from blood?

"I think I found something," Peter whispered. He was digging through another paper-thin cardboard box. It was filled with clothes, some pieces of jewelry, and some books. He picked up a leather bound book with a clasp on it. He opened it up. "January 7, 1973." he started. Mira grabbed the notebook from him, it was her mother's diary from when she was a young girl.

"I can't believe this," she whispered, half way through the book. "My mother was empathic - only, much stronger. It overwhelmed her. It drove her to have suicidal thoughts. It drove her crazy," she whispered.

Peter pulled out several other notebooks. He stacked them in front of her. He moved over to the window, he could see Sylar's old home. Was something in there? He thought he saw something move inside.

"You know what? I think I need some fresh air. I'm going outside," he muttered as he walked out. She continued to read.

Peter walked across the street; he headed to the old Grey home. Wood planks were in the yard, and the front door was wide open. He slowly walked in. The house was even more dilapidated than Mira's. He found a snow globe broken on the floor, the water dried up probably some years ago. The door slammed shut behind him. He turned around, face to face with Sylar.

"Peter, what a pleasant surprise."

"Sylar, I -" he was cut off as Sylar flailed him across the room.

"Checking in on me? Tell me Peter, what brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"Mira," he choked out. Sylar's gaze narrowed at him.

"Where is she?" he growled.

"Not here," he responded defiantly.

"What did you do with her, Peter?"

"Nothing!" Sylar pointed his fingers at Peter's head.

"Feel like dying today?" Peter struggled against the invisible hold on him.

Mira suddenly looked up from the book in front of her. Something was wrong. Peter was scared of something. She threw the books into a bag, and wandered outside to find him, but he was gone. The old Grey house caught her sight, and she gazed at the open door. She ran towards it.

"Peter?" she yelled for his response. She heard a noise behind her, and ran into the living room. "Peter!" she screamed. His captor turned around and smiled as a trickle of blood began on the side of his forehead. "Sylar! No!" she screamed. He stopped.

"Mira," his smile faded. She closed her eyes and began to whisper to herself. "What are you doing to me?" he seethed. His hold on Peter dropped, and Peter fell to the ground. Mira knelt with her eyes closed. She lifted her arms and Sylar began to levitate. "Let me go!" he exploded. He began to panic. "Stop doing this!" he begged. Peter crawled towards Sylar and grabbed his leg. He could feel Sylar's powers racing through him. The cut on his forehead disappeared as he began to heal.

Her will was too weak, and Sylar dropped to the floor. Peter lifted his hand, and whipped Sylar across the room.

"Peter, don't!" she shrieked.

"He's going to kill us!" he warned her. She shook her head.

"He's not going to hurt me," she reassured him.

"I can take him out now, I have his powers!" Peter argued.

"No, don't. You can't do this, I won't let you."

"Then let's go!" he shouted at her.

"I can't. I can't leave him like this. I need to stay with him."

"He's dangerous, Mira!"

"He promised, he'd never try to kill me again..." she let slip out.

"Again? He tried to kill you? Why would you stay with him?!"

"I need him," she whispered. Peter shook his head in frustration. "Peter, look at me," she demanded. She held his face in her hands, he began to calm. "I will be okay. I want you to leave. Go home, I'll be back later," she whispered. She kissed him on the cheek. "You're a true friend, thank you for doing this with me, but I can take it from here." He shook is head.

"I don't want to leave you here, with him..." he stared at Sylar, who was trying to stand. Peter blasted him with electricity and he fell back down.

"Stop!" she pleaded. "I can deal with him on my own. Please, just go!" she cried as she ran to Sylar's side. Peter closed his eyes, losing his patience.

"Fine, I'm gone. Get yourself killed if you want to," he warned.

"I'll be okay," she stated. "I'll see you again." Peter turned his back on her, and walked out the door. She watched him leave, before turning back to Sylar.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

"Gabriel? Are you okay?" she held his hand, but he snatched it away.

"I'm okay, no thanks to you," he groaned. He rubbed his neck. "When did you learn to levitate things?"

"I've learned a lot since the last time I saw you."

"Hanging out with Peter Petrelli, huh? I'm starting to wonder about your choice of company," he snarked, jealously.

"Petrelli?" She was caught off-guard.

"Yep. Peter Petrelli, brother-in-law to Heidi Petrelli - your former boss. You think it's a coincidence he found you?"

"Peter saved my life after you left. He's my friend."

"The Petrelli's are no one's friends." She rolled her eyes.

"Well he's mine, and you are not to touch him," she warned.

"Not to touch him? What are you, my mother?" She frowned at him.

"I can't stay here, with you, if you chose to stay this way. You have a choice, Gabriel. You can be a better person."

"I don't know if I WANT to be a better person. I like who I am. What am I supposed to do, settle down in a quiet, cozy little neighborhood, with a couple kids, working on watches for the rest of my life? I'm better than that," he clarified.

"I just want you to stop killing people!" she screamed. He chuckled at her frustration. "You're better than being a murderer."

"Do you think I want to kill people?"

"You lied when you said you didn't enjoy it. I could sense it."

"And I told you I can't control it! The hunger takes over, and I can't stop it. I need others' powers." She shook her head.

"You didn't kill me."

"I wish I had," he lamented. She tried not to cry. His eyes welled up with tears, but he held them back, and was able to fight her emotions.

"Then kill me. Do it." She stood in front of him, as he rose from the floor. He pointed his hand her direction, but it began to shake. "Do it!" she screamed.

"I can't!" he confessed. "I won't. I promised you..."

"Can I trust your promises? How many people did you make promises to that are dead now?"

"I won't lie to you," he seethed.

"Why? Is lying morally corrupt? I didn't think that mattered to a killer."

"Well, a man has to have standards…"

"A man that would kill his own mother?" she blurted out.

"She wasn't my mother, and I didn't kill her. It was an accident!" She was silent at his response.

"That's not what Mohinder said."

"Ahh, Dr. Suresh." he laughed. "What did the good doctor tell you?" he asked.

"He said I shouldn't trust you. Everyone else I met told me the same," she started.

"What do you feel, Mira?" He knelt down and held her hand, gazing into her eyes.

"I'm scared...scared of you," she admitted. "But I'm not ready to give up on you yet."

"I'm scared too," he answered. He grabbed her face, and stared into her eyes. "I've never felt this way before. I don't know how to deal with this. You're the only person that wanted to help me." She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I think I love you."

He leaned in for a kiss, but it was cut short, with the sound of car doors slamming shut. They peered out the window, through the planks of wood.

"What is it?" she whispered. He watched a gunman move across the street.

"We need to get out of here, now!" he grabbed her hand and ran towards the back door. They were surrounded. "It's too late, they're here."

"Who?"

"Probably the people that tried to kidnap you." Her eyes grew wide, and she shook with fear. Sylar's hands began to tremble. "You have to stay calm. I can't concentrate if I feel this way." She nodded and took a deep breath. "You can do this," he stated supportively. He inched forward, to look out again. Masked men were headed towards the front door. "Go upstairs," he commanded. She ran up the stairs, and shut herself in his old bedroom. She forgot about this place, her safe haven. She always felt safe here. She could hear voices downstairs, and a loud crash. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs. They were almost there. Suddenly, the door flew open. Mira was relieved it was Sylar.

They crept back down the stairs. An agent surprised them, and Mira grabbed him. There was a cracking noise, and he flew back in a halo of sparks. Sylar stared at her, impressed, but anxious about how powerful she had become.

"I've got an idea," he said as he led her to the front door. Several masked agents laid in pools of their own blood. Sylar grabbed a gun off one of the deceased men.

"What are you doing?" she gasped.

"Just play along," he said as he grabbed her by the arm. He pushed her out in front of him, and held a gun to her head. A line of agents stood, with their guns targeted on the couple.

"We're going to leave now," Sylar warned. "Try to follow me, and she's dead," he warned.

"I don't think that's going to happen," a voice rang out.

"Nathan?" Sylar asked in confusion. "I thought you gave up hunting people?"

"I thought I'd give it another shot," Nathan countered. He gazed up at Mira, suddenly amazed by her. "Who's this beautiful woman?" Nathan was entranced by her. He walked forward, staring at her. She smiled at Sylar and back at Nathan.

"Mr. Petrelli, come back, it's not safe!" an agent warned. He couldn't hear him. He stepped forward and reached out to Mira. Sylar pushed Mira away and went for Nathan. He telekinetically grabbed Nathan and spun him around. He pointed his fingers to his head.

"If anyone tries to follow us, your boss here is dead," he warned the armed men. He and Mira carefully walked down the driveway, towards one of the officials' SUVs. Mira jumped in the driver's seat, and Sylar threw Nathan in the back and jumped in after him. They sped off, leaving everyone in their dust. The agents scattered.

"Who are you?" Nathan asked, his senses coming back to him. Mira ignored him. She couldn't believe how good she felt, when her endorphins kicked in.

"She's not going to tell you," Sylar spoke. "So you finally decided to come after me yourself? I should kill you now."

"Sylar, don't," she asked quietly. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Fine," he whined. "Save the hypocritical bastard. You do realize he's one of us, yet he attempted, and failed miserably, to lock up all those 'dangerous' people with powers. We're threats to society, but he can do whatever he wants."

"Are you related to Peter Petrelli?" she asked Nathan, looking at him through the rearview mirror.

"How do you know Pete?" he asked defensively. She smirked.

"She killed him," Sylar whispered in his ear. Nathan tried to grab her, but Sylar pulled him back. "Easy there, buddy. No need to cause an accident. You could die too," Sylar warned.

"You killed my brother!" He yelled. Mira slammed on the breaks, he and Sylar flew forward.

"I didn't kill anyone," she hissed. "Your brother's my friend and he was alive and well last time I saw him. So were your wife and sons."

"If you touch my boys," Nathan warned.

"What? You'll kill us? I'd like to see you try," Sylar toyed.

"Please, don't do this," Nathan begged. "I don't know you; I never tried to hurt you!"

"He's lying," Sylar warned her.

"You sent that man after me…" she reminded him.

"I didn't send anyone after you! I don't know you!"

"So it's just a coincidence that your kids' nanny is attacked leaving your estranged wife's home?" Sylar chimed in.

"I know you don't believe me, but yes. It is." Nathan tried to appeal to Mira. "You said Pete was your friend. Do you know what it would do to him if I died?" She stared at him defiantly. "He's already lost his father to this psycho, now his brother too?" She knew he was trying to use her.

"Peter would thank us, if he knew you were a traitor to your own kind," she argued.

"Peter knows all the skeletons in my closet, but he still loves me. I'm still his brother." She could feel uneasyness in his words. He resented his brother, she could sense it.

"He'll just come after you again," Sylar warned her.

"Fine, then kill him," she demanded.

"No!" Nathan screamed. Sylar grabbed him and stared into his eyes.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you die," he muttered. Mira's eyes twinkled as he held Nathan up in the air, telepathically. She was enjoying it. Sylar slowly brought Nathan back down.

"What are you doing?!" she asked, feverishly.

"What you would really want me to," he answered. He psychically threw Nathan into the woods. His head smacked against a tree and he fell to the ground.

"I told you to kill him," she seethed. He shook his head.

"I don't take orders." She became angry.

"He's gone after people like us before. He won't stop. You're right, sometimes people have to die. It'll happen sooner or later anyway. So, take him out."

Sylar felt himself filling with rage. He looked over to where Nathan had been laying. He was gone.

"Well it's too late now. Our one chance just flew away." He hung his head in frustration. They got back into the car and left. "And he's not even the person that was after you. He was telling the truth," he informed her.

She gaped at him in awe. "You told me he was lying. I almost agreed to let you kill an innocent man…" What had she almost done?


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 08**

Mira read one page after another, after another of her mother's diaries. Sylar looked over once in a while, to see her nose pressed between the pages. He turned down the radio.

"What are you reading?" he finally asked.

"My mother's diaries. She was empathic too."

"I saw you today...you used the power of electricity. Did she have that too?" he questioned her.

"Yeah, I think," she tried to lie. "Maybe."

"Really?"

"June 30, 1984: I accidentally shocked a neighbor's cat today," she pretended to read.

"You're lying," he warned her. "How did you learn to do that? Where did you get it?!" His voice became intense.

"Fine! I got it from you! Apparently I absorb other people's powers!" He tried to hide the look of shock on his face.

"So you can do what I do now?"

"No...not very well. It happens very slowly. It may take months, even years to fully leach a person's powers."

"How much of what I can do, can you do?" She rolled her eyes.

"God, I've been talking about this all day! Very little, it's still weak."

"Who have you been talking to?" he asked, alarmed.

"Just Peter and Dr. Suresh."

"That's not all."

"Peter introduced me to a guy named Matt, too."

"Parkman?" she nodded. He rolled his eyes.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"How much did you tell them?"

"I told them the basics. I was attacked, you saved me, haven't seen you since."

"You're lying, that's not all of it," he reminded her. She sighed.

"Peter and I talked a lot. He saved my life when I collapsed in public. I owed him answers. He listened to me, like a true friend. You know, he told me that he saw the future once. You were Gabriel - a good man, with a beautiful son. You can be that person."

"Haven't we discussed this already?"

"That's not the point, the point is Peter's my friend, and he could be on our side, if we needed him. I trust him with what I told him." Sylar pulled into a dirty, old motel. "Eww, another gross motel? What about something nice, like a Marriot?" she whined. He smiled wickedly.

"We have to maintain a low profile right now, and driving around in a stolen government car isn't staying under the radar." He got out of the car and she followed him.

"So what are we gonna do?"

He broke into a near by mustang and sparked the ignition. The car turned on.

"That's amazing," she noted with a laugh. He smiled as they began to drive again. "So, where are we going?" she finally asked.

"Somewhere safe." She rolled her eyes, expecting his response.

"Safe? Again? That's becoming boring," she warned.

"We need to stay under their radar. We have to go somewhere they'll never find us. We need to get out of New York."

She looked at him, worried. "I don't want to hide for the rest of my life. I want to have some fun."

He frowned. "How fun would it be to spend the rest of your life in a government science lab?"

"They'd never look for us in Disney World," she suggested.

"We're not going to Disney World." She frowned at him. She suddenly smiled. "Don't -" he warned. He tried to fight the smile that slowly crept onto his face.

"I can make you have fun if I need to," she warned. She laughed and let him go back to his old cross ways.

"I just want to be safe," he tried to reason. She crossed her arms.

"Fine, no Disney World. Let's just check into a nice hotel, and spend some time getting some rest. You've been so stressed lately," she spoke softly, into his ear. "Let's go somewhere and relax," she suggested again, before kissing the side of his neck. His eyes rolled back and a shiver ran down his back.

"I'll settle for that," he agreed. She smiled. She could get used to always getting her way.

"So...the Hilton or a Marriot?"

"How bout a Day's Inn?" he offered. She rolled her eyes.

"Let us live the high life for a day, no?"

"We don't have any money," Sylar confessed. She pulled the Dandelion out of her ponytail.

"If you can do this, we can make some money," she suggested. He considered the idea. "We buy some cheap plastic jewelry from a dollar store, turn it gold, and take them to a pawn shop or jewelry shop or something. We'll have enough money to stay in a penthouse suite if we wanted to." He liked her idea.

"Fine," he began. "Just as long as we only stay here one day, and after that we leave again. They're probably still on our trail." She nodded. "We need to keep our heads down in public and not tell anyone who we are. No displays of powers. None." She agreed. "Okay, let's go."

*


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

Mira stuffed a wad of cash into her back pocket, smiling, as she returned from inside the jewelry shop.

"Oh man, that was easy. The guy was in love with me. We could have just given him the plastic Mardi gras beads and still got the cash," she bragged.

"Whatever. Let's just get to the hotel," he stated before walking towards the street.

"Wait, we're walking?" she asked, confused.

"We don't need that car anymore. Let's just get to a hotel and decide where to go from there."

"Alright then, let's go," she grabbed his arm and they were off. They arrived quickly at the Hilton and tried to check in.

"Don't you have any rooms available?" Sylar asked snidely to cashier behind the computer. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Excuse me," Mira cut in. "I apologize for him, ma'am. We just got married and haven't even gotten a honeymoon yet! I know its last minute, but have you any suites left?" Mira batted her eyes sweetly. She cocked her head at the heavyset woman behind the counter and smiled. The woman smiled back.

"Well, hang on, let me see if anything's opened up." The woman began to search the computer. Her phone rang and she answered it.

"Why don't we just go somewhere else?" he asked, growing ever impatient.

"Just wait, let's see if she can find anything." Mira watched the woman hang up the phone and click the mouse to her computer.

"Actually, you're in luck. A wedding's been cancelled and a room has opened up. There's a honeymoon suite on the 8th floor," she offered. Sylar raised an eyebrow as Mira smiled, excitedly.

"We'll take it!" Mira tossed the cash down on the counter. Sylar rolled his eyes. "Thank you so much!" she squealed and hugged the woman.

"So what name will this be under?"

"Scott and Jean Grey." She smiled and took the key-card from the woman.

"Nice way to keep a low profile," he whispered in her ear.

"Come on honey, let's go," she grabbed Sylar by the arm and pulled him along behind her.

"Don't call me honey. It seriously doesn't work for me," he warned. She laughed.

"Remember? We're newlyweds - I can call you whatever I want," She swiped the card to their room and opened the door. It was like a small apartment. Rose petals were left in a trail, leading to the bedroom. Candles lined the walls. The mini-bar was stocked, and Mira grabbed a bottle of champagne and two glasses.

"What will we toast for?" Sylar asked her.

"Redemption." She chimed her glass against his and gulped down her drink.

"You don't waste any time do you?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously. She smiled and shook her head.

"No," she whispered as she leaned in for a kiss. He pulled her closer, pressing her chest against his. His lips traveled down her mouth, to her neck, to her collar bone. She shook as his fingers ran across ticklish spots. Suddenly her belt undid itself. She threw her head back and laughed as her jeans started to unzip, seemingly by themselves.

"If you think that's impressive, wait..." he bragged, as he picked her up and carried her to the king sized bed covered in rich red satin and velvet. He laid her on the bed and with a flick of his finger, the door slammed behind them.

*

Mira awoke the next day, in the rich mahogany king size bed. She looked at the clock, 9:46am. She rolled towards the center of the bed, and realized he wasn't there. She got out of bed and grabbed a robe. She went into the living area. He was no where to be found. Just as she reached for the phone, the door opened.

"Sylar, thank –" she stopped as she turned around. "You're not Sylar," she whispered.

"No, I'm not. Sylar can't be here right now. You need to come with me," the man answered.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" she yelled. Noah Bennett grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the front door. She shook free and ran towards the bedroom. "Stay away from me!" She locked herself inside the bathroom.

"Mira, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you. Do you know where Sylar is right now? He is out looking for someone to kill. He's a murderer, Mira. I need to get you out of here before he comes back."

"How do you know my name?"

"Peter Petrelli. He contacted me. He said he needed my help finding you. He wants you safe."

"I don't belong to Peter Petrelli and I don't need a babysitter!"

"That's not what this is about, Mira. We can help you. We can make you better…" he spoke softly. When she didn't respond, he kicked the door in. She was in the bathtub. "Let's not do this the hard way," he suggested.

"What are you going to do to me?"

"Nothing. Just make sure you're safe. That's all."

"Did you try to shoot me?"

"I've never heard of you before Peter contacted me. I just want to help." She suddenly felt like he was lying.

"I don't believe you. You're lying…" she whispered. He shook his head.

"I won't hurt you. If I wanted to, I would have by now." She stood up and got out of the tub. "Get dressed. He'll be back soon. We're getting out of here before he does."

She walked past him towards the bed. Her clothes were thrown on the floor to the side. She grabbed them and went back into the bathroom. Bennett waited outside the open door as she changed.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"To a safe place," he clarified.

"I swear to God, if I hear that line one more time…" she warned as she came back into the bedroom. "I'll kill the next person who says it."

"Ok, we're going to see a friend," he said. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he smiled. "Someone wants to meet you."

"Like who?" she asked as they headed towards the elevator. Noah ignored her question.

"Someone that wants to meet you." She swallowed nervously. She prayed for the best as she loaded onto the elevator. Noah held her arm and they walked out to the street together.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Mr. Bennett."

Sylar was standing at a magazine stand close to the side of the hotel when he noticed Mira getting into a black car. The man with her turned around – it was Noah Bennett. He got in the driver's side and left. Sylar watched as she left.

"So where are we going?" Mira pondered. Noah pulled something out of his pocked.

"It's going to be a surprise," he said as he injected something quickly into her neck. She gasped and slumped over.

*


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

Mira awoke in a dark room. She sat up in bed, taking in her surroundings. It was very quiet. She laid back down for a moment, wondering if she should bother to get up and figure out where she was. She wanted to trust Noah, but he hadn't given her reason to yet. She knew, deep down, he was right about Sylar, but she still clung to hope that he could change. He could be better.

She slowly pulled herself out of bed, and traveled towards the window. She pulled up the blinds to let some light in. She was in a large bedroom, very ornately decorated. She tried to open the bedroom door, but it was locked from the outside.

"Hello?!" she screamed as she pounded on the door. She could hear the latch pop and the door opened. She slowly peered out from the door. No one was in the hallway. She stepped out and walked towards an opening. She entered the kitchen, where an older woman was sitting at the dining table, across from Mr. Bennet.

"Good morning, Mira. Did you sleep well?" Noah asked. She nodded. "Come sit down, have some breakfast." She slowly took a seat, between the two. A maid sat a plate of food in front of her.

"Mira, this is my colleague, Angela Petrelli," he began.

"Petrelli? Peter-" she trailed off. She thought about her run in with Nathan. Angela smiled.

"Yes, dear. I am Peter's mother." She stuck out her hand to shake, and Mira ignored it.

"I'm your grandsons' nanny," Mira confessed to her. Noah looked up in surprise.

"I know, I've heard a lot about you," Angela said with a smile. Mira ate a little, and pushed the plate aside.

"There are some clothes in the closet in your room. The bathroom is down the hall. I suppose you'd like to shower and then sit down and talk. I know you have a lot of questions," Angela noted.

"Thank you," Mira acknowledged as she stood up from the table. She started back towards her room.

"You didn't tell me she knew Heidi and the boys," Noah lectured Angela.

"Nathan told me. I called Heidi, and assured her that Mira is fine. We found her, and she's safe."

"So why did I bring her here?" he asked.

"I think it's time to keep our friends close, and our enemies closer," she suggested. He nodded as he thought about it.

As they continued their quiet discussion, they heard the front door open and slam. Claire came storming into the room.

"Dad!" she whispered as she stood in awe.

"Claire-bear!" He got up and she ran to him for a hug. "Claire, what are you doing here?" Noah asked as Nathan followed her into the room.

"Nathan brought me here. I'm so happy to see you," she cried. She pulled away and looked at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to speak with your grandmother. Why did you two come back here? It's not safe yet…"

"I had business to tend to," Nathan argued. "It was safer for her to come here, with me, than to leave her somewhere by herself." Noah was silent.

"Hey, mom," Nathan greeted his mother.

"Took you long enough to get here," she lectured her son. He gave her a hug, and kissed her cheek.

"Well, we're here now," he countered. Claire began down the hall.

"Claire, where are you going?" Angela asked with agitation. She raised an eyebrow.

"Uhm…to the bathroom?" They watched her turn the knob – it was locked.

"Hey, who's in the-" Claire was interrupted as the door opened. She came face to face with Mira. "Who the hell are you?" she asked, defiantly.

"Who are you?" Mira fired back, taking a step towards her. Noah intervened.

"Mira, this is my daughter, Claire," he introduced her as he led Claire away from her. Claire sat at the kitchen table.

"Who is she?" Claire asked as Mira followed them into the room.

"She's Sylar's girlfriend," Nathan answered as he slipped into Mira's line of sight. She gasped. "She tried to make him kill me."

"I'm not his girlfriend!" Mira defended.

"You tried to kill Nathan?" Claire asked as she lunged at her. Noah stopped her.

"I'm also a friend of Peter's," Mira noted.

"How can you be a friend of Pete's, and try to kill his brother?" Claire asked, flabbergasted.

"Sylar said Nathan sent men to kill me," she defended.

"I told you it wasn't me," he argued.

"Sylar told me you were lying." She looked down in shame.

"Can you really trust the words of a murderer? Just because he said I was…it doesn't mean I was. He didn't kill me because he knew I was telling the truth. He's setting you up." She contemplated what he was saying.

"I know," she admitted. "He told me the truth when you disappeared. I'm sorry I lost it." Nathan stared at her, vindicated.

"That's enough, for now," Angela intervened. "Nathan, Noah…I need to talk to you in private," she said as she left the room. Nathan kept his eye on Mira as he walked past her, following his mother. Noah looked at Claire and left the room. Mira was left alone with Claire.

*

Mira went back to the room she awoke in. Claire followed her into the room. Mira tried to pretend she wasn't there.

"So you're with Sylar?" Claire finally blurted out. Mira sighed heavily.

"Sylar and I have a connection I can't explain. He and I are like…kindred spirits."

"Are you a killer too?" Claire whispered. Mira hung her head.

"No. I've never killed anyone. I don't feel the urge too either, if that's what you're asking." Mira thought about her father, but held back. Claire sat down next to her.

"I don't get it," Claire stated, shaking her head. "How do you know Peter?"

"He was the paramedic that treated me when I passed out in a pizza shop. I told him I'd been shot. I tried to tell him about Sylar, but I guess I passed out. He took me to a friend's house, and came with me to try to find my mother a few days ago."

"So where's Pete now?" Claire wondered. She shrugged.

"Last time I saw him, there was kinda an altercation…" Claire stared at her, worried. "Sylar had him. I stopped him from killing Peter, and told Peter to leave. I stayed with Sylar."

"So Peter was okay?" she asked, her head reeling with Mira's story.

"He left all in one piece."

"Why did you try to kill Nathan?"

"I thought Nathan was trying to kill me. Sylar told me he was behind the agent shooting me."

"Someone shot you? Why?" Claire paused for a second. "Do you have powers?" she asked in awe.

"I don't really want to get into this discussion again," she started. They stopped talking as they heard footsteps in the hallway. The door to the room opened and they both stared in disbelief.

"Peter, what are you doing here?" Claire asked as she got up to greet him. She hugged him and turned to Mira. He was staring at her.

"Hello, Peter," she said as she stood up to greet him. She reached for his hand, and he pulled away.

"Mira, I'm surprised you're still alive," he said, impressed. She could sense his concern for her mixed with anger.

"Nice to see you too," she stated sarcastically.

"What happened to Sylar?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Your thug grabbed me while I was alone."

"Thug?" Claire asked.

"My mother asked your father to help," Peter told her. "I talked to her, and she went behind my back and asked Noah to intervene."

"What does your mother want with her?" Claire questioned.

"Yeah, what the hell does your mother want with me?" Mira chimed in. Peter shrugged.

"Sylar's a bad influence," Peter countered. She couldn't argue with that.

"Like I told Mr. Bennett, I don't need a babysitter. I can make decisions for myself," Mira retorted.

"Did Noah tell you?" Peter asked. "They found another victim. Another person with their head sliced open; happened within the past week." Mira shook her head.

"No, he couldn't-" she tried to reason.

"Couldn't what? Kill someone? Wake up, Mira. He's a MURDERER. He is going to find a way to kill you too," Noah informed her as he walked into the room. He shook Peter's hand and stared at Claire. "You're just another pawn on his chessboard."

She refused to believe the people that surrounded her. Claire stood up and joined her father. Mira stared off into space, facing the other wall. Peter sat beside her.

"Please, Mira. I don't want to hurt you. You can trust me, I've told you that before." Peter ran his hand over her hair.

"I don't trust anyone," she whispered. Noah led Claire out of the room.

"I'm not out to hurt anyone," Peter directed at her. "I just want to help you."

"Help me what?" she asked.

"Get your life back."

"I don't want to go back to that life." He sighed out of frustration, and left her in the room, alone.

*


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

Noah, Nathan and Angela stood in the den.

"So why is she here?" Nathan worried.

"Because she needs to realize we're not the bad guys," Angela reminded him. "She's your boys' nanny. She's tied to this family. Suppose someone wasn't out to get Mira. Say they thought she was Heidi…" she trailed off as her son stood, deep in thought.

"So now it's our problem, trying to figure out who's after her?" Nathan wanted no part in it.

"Until we make sure it has nothing to do with you, your wife, or sons," Noah chimed in.

"Nathan, darling…She can be beneficial to our cause," Angela reminded him. "She's one of the very few who have power over Sylar. She can help us stop people like him. She could disarm him."

"So say she could. But what if she doesn't? I saw them together. They worked together, like a team."

"We make her feel like part of the family. We have her turn on Sylar. If anyone can get him, it's her."

"How are you going to turn a nanny into a hero?" Nathan asked, sarcastically.

"She'll learn from the best," Noah said, referring to himself.

"I don't know if I trust her. She wanted me dead," Nathan reminded them.

"It was just self-preservation. If you thought someone was trying to kill you, wouldn't you consider killing them first?" Nathan was silent, she knew he understood.

"Maybe we should sit down with her, ask her some more questions," Noah suggested. "Speaking of questions…what the hell were you doing going after Sylar? You were supposed to be with Claire, protecting her."

"Peter tipped me off about his whereabouts. I had an opportunity, and I took it," Nathan stated, flatly.

"You can't take on Sylar, on a whim. And either way, I thought you were out of that business…"

"It's Sylar," Nathan reminded him. "If we don't take him down, no one will."

"I think we're finished here," Angela noted as she turned around, leaving the men to themselves.

"Be careful," Nathan warned Noah. "Just remember, she's in there, with your daughter, alone right now. There's no knowing what Sylar's already told her, or done to her. Don't risk Claire."

Noah quickly walked back inside. Angela was in the kitchen, and he walked towards the bedroom Mira stayed in. He saw her sitting with Claire and Peter.

Hopefully, this works…he thought to himself.

*

(A month later)

Peter watched Mira from a distance. Noah had been helping Mira with her powers. She was much stronger than she realized. She had learned to control her telepathy and hone her powers of persuasion. She was finally ready for her first test.

Peter had finally sat down with Claire, and told her what he knew about Mira. Claire was torn. She couldn't understand how anyone would want to be near that psychopath, Sylar, yet somehow she truly seemed to care about him. Maybe she could make him a better person.

"So, I don't get exactly what I'm training for," Mira finally spoke up, during an exercise.

"It's kinda complicated," Noah admitted.

"I won't have to kill anyone, will I?" He stared at her for a moment.

"I'm not planning on it. You do need to have a good arsenal, though. You will need to defend yourself."

She laughed in disbelief. "Defend myself from who? First, it was Nathan's men. Then, it's Sylar. And then you…who is it this time - the Boogeyman?"

"Look, Mira. I want to tell you more, but the truth is I don't know anything else. I don't have all the details. I was just told to get you away from Sylar, and teach you everything I know about self-preservation."

"Am I working for the people that attacked me?"

"Does it really matter as long as you're doing the right thing?"

"Uh, yeah. To me it does. Someone shot me with poison darts!"

"I can assure you it wasn't me, or any of the Petrelli's. Angela wants to help you find out who was after you."

"Can't I just leave? Run away and start a new life somewhere?"

"Unfortunately, that's not an option. And, honestly, it doesn't work anyway," Noah spoke from experience.

She and Noah left Angela's home, and soon ended up at an old factory. He led her into a room in an underground facility beneath the cement walls.

"Where are we going?" she asked. He stood in the doorway. I have a test for you," he told her. They were on the opposite side of a 2-way mirror. She stared at a cold gray room with two cots. A woman with dark hair sat with her back to them.

"Am I interrogating someone?" she asked. Noah chuckled to himself.

"No. You're actually going to spend 72 hours in that room. My friend, Rachel, here, will be with you, to help you hone her powers."

"You're locking me in a cage for 3 days?"

"You'll have company."

"This is complete bull-" she was cut off as he tossed her in the room.

"If you need anything, just press this button," he stated as he pointed towards a large red button on the wall. A guard will come and get you whatever you need. I'll make sure they bring you some food and water in a little bit."

"Bennett! Wait!" she yelled as he shut the door. She was stuck. She almost forgot someone else was in the room with her.

"So you're…Rachel?" Rachel nodded. "Aren't you pissed they stuck you in a cage for 3 days too?" Mira asked in surprise. Rachel shrugged.

"I've been through worse," she admitted. "And I can leave anytime I want to." Mira stared at her, puzzled.

"So how are you going to help me 'hone' my powers? I pretty much know what I'm doing," she asked, disbelievingly.

"We're going to see how far you can take them."

"I already know. So far, I can make people feel whatever I want them to."

"How long does it take?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know…a minute or two," she responded, trying to think how long it took.

"We can help you learn to do it instantaneously," Rachel offered. Mira considered it. "I was informed you may have some of Sylar's powers. What can you do?"

"Nothing…barely anything, really," Mira quickly answered.

"Nathan told us that you shocked one of his men," Rachel countered. "And Peter said you inherited a few other powers too…including telekinesis, lie detecting, and regeneration," Rachel listed. Mira listened, angered that Peter would give her up like that.

"I can barely do any of those things," she lied. "The most I've done is give someone static shock."

"These powers may get stronger. You need to learn how to control them."

"I haven't seen Gabriel in days. Dr. Suresh said I can't get any stronger if he's not here," Mira corrected.

"Maybe. Truth is, Dr. Suresh was just taking a shot in the dark." Rachel stood up, and without any warning, disappeared into thin air. She suddenly appeared on the other side of the glass door. She waved good-bye before walking away.

"Wait!" Mira screamed. "Get your ass back here! You can't leave me here alone!" She focused on Rachel and suddenly, Rachel felt very guilty for leaving her. She turned back to join her. She popped back into the room.

"I feel bad for leaving you like that," she said once she returned.

"Damn right you do." Mira narrowed her eyes at her. "If I'm stuck here, you are too…" she warned. Rachel nodded. "What the hell was that anyway?" she asked, bewildered.

"I can teleport," Rachel admitted. She quickly changed the subject. "Well, you're empathic powers are pretty strong. I don't think we'll be working on those too much."

"That was a test?!"

"Yes. You did well. Now we're going to do something else." Rachel went into her pocket and pulled out some change. She threw it on the table. "I want every piece of change spinning at once."

Mira laughed. "You really think I can do all that change at one time? Surely you jest…" Rachel shook her head.

"You can do it…" she ordered. Mira concentrated on a quarter. It began to shake, and suddenly was spinning on its side. Rachel smiled as she watched Mira focus on the coins. She drew her hand over the change, and began to move her fingers. Quickly a dime began to spin too, and then a penny. Soon, 6 out of 10 coins were spinning. Mira's head began to throb and she began to sweat. "Keep going you can do it!" Rachel yelled. Mira's hands began to shake as another piece of change began to spin. It was too much for her, the coins flew across the room and Mira sunk down in her chair.

"I'm tired," Mira stated. Rachel pushed the button and a guard came down. "Can we get some lunch?" He nodded and left and soon returned with some sandwiches. Mira and Rachel ate quietly.

"You're stronger than you give yourself credit for," Rachel mentioned as Mira finished her sandwich.

"So why are we doing this then?"

"Mira, you're proof there are good people, like us, out there. We need your help stopping the bad ones. And if you do, we'll make sure you're provided for. And if you're going to help us, we need you in the best shape you can be in."

"I've managed to survive this long, I'll be fine," Mira retorted.

"Don't you want to master your powers, so you can make sure?"

"Fine, but three days is a bit drastic…"

"But three days can prepare you for the rest of your life."

*


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

(Three weeks later)

Mira stood, alone, in her new apartment. She didn't think she'd be returning to somewhat normal life in New York so soon, especially to a furnished loft with her name on the lease.

"Do you like it?" Angela Petrelli asked from the doorway. Mira was startled to realize she had company.

"Yes, it's amazing."

"It's yours, so long as you do what needs to be done," Angela reminded her. "There's also someone here to see you." Mira turned around as two small boys came running towards her.

"Simon! Monty!" She was shocked as Heidi walked into the room. "Heidi," she whispered. Heidi hugged her.

"We're just glad you're alright. The boys missed you like crazy," she told Mira.

"I missed you all, too." Mira smiled as the boys entertained their grandmother.

"You know you still have a place with us, even when this is all over," she reminded her. Mira smiled.

"Thanks, but I'm happy here." Mira's phone rang, and she turned away to see how it was. "I still don't understand why she's doing this for me…" Mira motioned to Angela before answering the phone.

"I'm helping you, because in the end you're helping the entire world, and that's what matters," Angela spoke with pride. Mira's phone rang, and she turned away to answer it.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Mira, its Noah. We have a situation, and I need your help," Noah began. "I'm on my way to your place now." He hung up and she turned back around to her guests.

"Business calls," she joked. "I got to get out of here. Thank you so much, Mrs. Petrelli." She hugged everyone and walked out of the loft.

"Darling, you've almost become like a daughter to me," Angela spoke matter-of-factly as she hugged Mira. "And call me Angela. You just let me know if you need anything at all…"

"Thank you Miss Angela, I'll do that." Mira walked out of the building. Noah was waiting for her.

"So what's the big hurry?" she asked, nonchalantly.

"We may have a lead on who came after you," he murmured. Her eyes grew large.

"Who?" she asked, quickly. He shook his head.

"I don't know, but we're both about to find out." They pulled into a parking garage and went inside the building. In the elevator, Noah pressed the basement button. Mira fidgeted nervously.

"Never let them sense you're nervous," Noah reminded her. She took a deep breath and tried to focus. They stepped off the elevator and walked down a dark corridor. They went into a room, where they could see a prisoner talking to a man in a suit through the double sided mirror.

"Who is that?" she asked. Noah looked through the file.

"Her name is Jasmine Mayfield," Noah read aloud. Mira gasped.

"Jazz?" she questioned.

"Do you know her?"

"She's…she's my friend," she sputtered out. He shook his head.

"Doesn't seem to be a very good one," he stated.

"What did she do?" Mira couldn't believe her eyes. Noah read more into the file.

"Says she was found, unconscious, in an alleyway, the night you were almost abducted." Noah reported. "She appeared to have been shot in the same shoulder, with some sort of tranquilizer," he read. Her mind clicked as she put the pieces together.

"She shot me…" she whispered. Noah looked at her, perplexed.

"No, she was shot too…" he clarified.

"No. She shot me. Whatever pain someone inflicts on me comes back on them. Did she have any darts in her back?" she anguished. He shook his head.

"Why would my own friend try to kill me?" she asked in awe.

"Well, let's find out why," Noah suggested. He led her into the questioning room. Jazz watched the doorknob turn, and saw a suited man, with horn-rimmed glasses walk in. She was shocked to see Mira behind him.

"Mira?" she asked, shocked.

"Yeah, surprise…I'm still alive!" she answered sarcastically. "Didn't get me after all, did you?" Mira taunted.

"What do you mean? I didn't –"

"Save it, you lying bitch. I know you came after me. I know you shot me with tranquilizers. I know it. All I want to know is why…" she warned her.

"I didn't want to hurt you," Jazz began.

"You're lying! I can sense it! Don't lie to me Jasmine. We were friends…"

"You were just a job!" Jazz screamed.

"Just a job? We were friends. I supported you through failed relationships and careers…" she seethed. Rage began to take her over, and Mira stood up. Jasmine was lifted off her feet.

"Mira, put her down…" Noah tried to persuade her. She ignored him, and began to choke Jasmine. "Mira…control yourself. You're better than that," he reminded her. She refused to loosen her hold. "Jasmine, who sent you after Mira?"

"Some guy that came into the club," she choked out. Mira's eyes grew with intensity as her hold on Jazz grew stronger. Suddenly, the lights seemed to flicker, and when they came back on, Mira and Jazz were gone. Noah, stared in disbelief as he realized he was alone. He drew his gun and ran through the building, looking for them.

*


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

Mira let go of Jazz once she realized they were in the middle of a busy street.

"What the hell did you just do?" Jazz screamed. She took the opportunity to run from Mira, but didn't get far. Mira caught up to her and threw her on the ground.

"I guess I can teleport now, too," she gloated.

"You're crazy!" Jazz screamed. Mira locked her mouth shut with telepathy. They were in front of what looked to be a shut down watch repair store. She busted in the window and unlocked the door. She threw Jazz on the ground as they entered.

"I'm not finished with you," Mira warned. Jazz wanted to scream, but she couldn't move her mouth. "You tried to kill me. You shot me…why?" She uncovered Jazz's mouth.

"There was a paycheck involved, and I needed the money," Jazz shot back, coldly.

"So I guess you CAN put a price on friendship," Mira started, rolling her eyes. "Who sent you after me?" Jazz laughed, lowly. "TELL ME!" Mira screamed.

"I don't know. Some random guy came into the club one night, asked me if I knew you. I said no. He told me it was a shame, because you were special, and if I got you to him, not only would I make a ton of money, but I'd learn your secret, how you make people fall in love with you."

"Well he LIED!" Mira screamed. "You can't just take my powers! But I can take yours…" she remembered. A crazy look flashed in Mira's eyes. She slowly started towards Jazz.

"I don't have any powers," Jazz lied. Mira smiled.

"I know you're lying." Jazz tried to back away from her. Mira stared at her, and she began to shake.

"Mira, please, stop…I'm scared." Tears started to form in her eyes.

"How do you think I felt when I knew someone was chasing me, and then shot me…" Jazz floated off the ground at Mira's will. Mira threw her up against a wall and walked over to her. "It's time to finish the job," she whispered as she pointed her hand at Jazz. Jazz screamed as her head began to feel like it was being ripped in half.

*

"Mira, don't…" another voice ordered. She stopped and turned around to see who was behind her.

"What…what are you doing here?" she choked out. The man held up a watch.

"This was my workshop, when I was a watchmaker," he said as he threw a watch to her. As she caught the watch, she dropped her hold on Jazz and she came crashing to the ground. The brand said "Sylar."

"Sylar…I…" She was lost for words.

"I don't get it. Here you are preaching to me about killing people, trying to make me 'good'…and here you are, about to kill some innocent girl." He reveled in her hypocrisy.

"Innocent? She's the one that shot me! She was going to deliver me to some guy for money!" Sylar thought about the new circumstances.

"Well, I kinda can't blame you. But if you kill her, you won't get any answers…"

"She doesn't have any answers. She doesn't know who sent her."

"Is that so?" he asked the unfamiliar woman. Jazz nodded. His senses rang; she was lying.

"She's lying," he warned Mira.

"Yeah, just like Nathan, right?" Sylar rolled his eyes.

"I told you the truth about him."

"After I told you to kill him!" She shook with rage, remembering the incident.

"Ok, fine. Kill her. What do I care? I can just sit here, and enjoy the festivities," he said as he sat in his old chair, and kicked his feet up on the desk.

*

Mira weighed the options for a moment. She turned to Jazz, who was just regaining her balance. She took a shot at her, knocking her out with a single punch to the jaw. She turned back around to Sylar.

"There. Satisfied?" she quipped. He let out a half smile as he stood up.

"It's ironic how we keep running into each other," he mentioned. "It's been weeks since you left with Noah Bennet," he reminded her. She looked down at the concrete floor.

"How do you know I left with Bennet?" she asked.

"I was coming back to the hotel when I saw you get in a car with him," he stated, accusingly.

"You saw me?" she asked in awe. "Why didn't you do anything to stop him?" she wondered, becoming irate.

"It's not like he had a gun to your head. I assumed you went willingly."

"No, I just chose to do it the easy way," she admitted. "He told me I had two choices."

"You should have taken the hard way."

"And what? Get myself killed in the process?" she asked, bewildered by his smugness. "Where the hell were you anyway? Noah said you were out, killing another victim," she reminded him.

"No, actually, I just had to go pick up a few things," he said. "I haven't killed anyone since the day I found you." She was surprised, he was actually telling the truth. She stood there in silence.

"So where do we go from here?"

"I say we get out of here," he said as he grabbed her hand, leading her towards the door. As he approached the door, it flew open. Noah Bennet stood on the other side.

"Get out of my way, Bennet," Sylar warned.

"You're not going anywhere," Noah countered. He held a gun straight at Sylar's head.

"You're not worth my time," Sylar stated. With a flick of his hand, Noah flew across the room, landing close to Jazz.

"Mira! You know what you have to do! He's a killer. Do the right thing," Noah commanded. Mira looked at him, and looked back at Sylar.

"Come on Mira, let's go," Sylar suggested. She looked back at Noah.

"I'm sorry, Gabriel," she whispered. She lowered her gaze, and he slowly began to shake.

"What are you doing?" he asked, becoming nervous. She concentrated on him, as his eyes grew wide. "You're scaring me. Stop it," he warned. He began to cry. "Don't do this," he pleaded. He began to hyperventilate. Noah stood up. He grabbed a pair of pliers from the workstation, and lunged at Sylar. He thrust the pliers into the back of Sylar's skull. Sylar fell, face first to the ground.

"What did you do?!" Mira shrieked as she ran to Sylar.

"What I had to," Noah reminded her. She began to cry. A tear rolled down Noah's cheek. He walked over to her side and put his hand on her shoulder. She shook him off of her. He pulled her away from Sylar, before she could touch the pliers and held her tightly as she wailed.

"You killed him," she sobbed. He pushed her face against his chest.

"I'm sorry. I had to. It was the only way," he whispered. "He would have killed me if I didn't." He walked her out of the store and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"We got him," he said flatly, into the receiver. He hung up the phone and ushered her across the street. Several agents ran out of the building they headed towards, and ran past them towards the watch shop.

Sylar was dead.

*


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

(Three months later)

Mira stared out the window of her apartment. She was thinking about him again. She didn't even hear the door open, or someone slip in behind her.

"Mira-" She jumped as a hand touched her shoulder. She spun around, startled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he whispered.

"Jesus, Bennet, don't scare me like that," she said with a sigh of relief. She rubbed her hand over her slightly swollen abdomen. Maybe all that excitement got the baby stirring. She felt a light kick.

"How are you doing?" he asked, acknowledging the baby bump. She shrugged.

"I'm fine, I guess," she answered.

"Do you still hate me?" he asked with a small sigh. She looked away. "I'm sorry to make you go through that."

"What's done is done. You can't take it back now," she responded nonchalantly. There was a brief moment of silence.

"Sylar had to be stopped. You may have cared for Gabriel at one point, but he's not that person anymore." She knew he was right, but it didn't make her feel any better. "I've got a surprise for you," Noah noted as he pulled an envelope from his inside breast pocket. He held it out for her to take.

Mira contemplated taking it from him. Was it another job? She wondered. She slowly took the envelope and opened it. Her hands shook as she unfolded the paper.

"What is this?" She asked as she stared at an unfamiliar address.

"Your mother is Glenda Mizzaro, correct?" he asked, inspecting the paper.

"Cut to the chase," Mira warned him.

"Seems that is the facility where she's being hospitalized."

"She's still alive," she murmured as she stared at the paper. "Hospitalized? What's wrong with her?" She almost didn't want to know. It seemed a piece of Mira felt that it would be her in a few decades.

"Well," Bennet adjusted his glasses. "The police found your father. When they searched the house, she was sitting on her bed, staring at the floor. They took her into custody. They fingered her for his murder, but she got off with an insanity plea."

"Where did you get all this?" she asked. Mira felt overwhelming guilt as she listened to him.

"I did a little bit of research into your past, Miranda Mizzaro," he noted. "This story was all over the newspapers. You were claimed dead. What happened to you after that?"

"I lived on my own. I did what I had to, to survive. I got my GED, and got certified to become a nanny," she answered truthfully.

"Well, your mother would be glad to know you're alive," Noah reminded her.

"I can't believe she's alive," she exclaimed reluctantly. He nodded. "I need to go see her," she said as she got up to find her keys.

"Come on, I'll take you," he offered. He opened the door for her, and they both left.

*

Mira stared out the passenger window, watching the people walk by. She took a deep breath as she pushed the car door open and pulled herself out of the car. She stared at the large brick building in front of her, hesitating to take the first step.

"Come on, I'll walk you in," he offered his arm to her. She held his arm as they walked into the sterile building.

"We are here to see Glenda Mizzaro," Noah spoke with the large woman behind the counter. She tilted her head down, so she could see him over her glasses.

"Name?" she asked as she glanced back at her magazine.

"Miranda Mizzaro."

"Hang on just a minute," she said as she picked up her phone. She intercommed a co-worker. After a moment she sighed and picked up her magazine again. "Someone will be down in a minute to take you up to her. She returned her attention to the magazine.

Within a few minutes, a young man in pale blue scrubs came towards them.

"You're in luck, she's somewhat lucid today," he mentioned as he led them down a hallway. Mira looked to Noah for reassurance; he smiled and squeezed her hand.

They were ushered into a private hospital room. Glenda lay in a traditional hospital bed, staring at the wall in front of her. Her doctor quickly walked in. He was a thin man with a narrow face. He pushed his rectangular glasses up and raised his hand. Noah shook it.

"I'm Dr. Bernstein. I'm Glenda Mizzaro's psychiatrist."

"I'm Mr. Ensley, Miranda Mizzaro's adoptive father," Noah replied. The doctor turned to study Mira. He had a puzzled look on his face as he began to flip through the chart.

"You're Miranda?" he asked, surprised. "Your mother thought you were dead."

"Sometimes I wish I were," Mira confessed. Noah laughed, uncomfortably.

"She's quite sarcastic when she wants to be," he joked, trying to change the subject. "So how is Ms. Mizzaro? Is she well enough, Miranda could speak with her?" The doctor glanced at Glenda and quickly back to Noah.

"She's been progressing a little, but she only becomes cognizant for short periods of time. We'll have to make it quick." He walked over to her IV line and closed off the line. Within a few moments she began to stir.

"Dr. Bernstein, can I speak to you outside, I don't want to bother Miranda," Noah whispered in the doctor's ear. He nodded and followed Noah out of the room.

*

"Momma?" Mira asked as she approached the frail woman. She turned to Mira, and tried to focus on her face.

"Who are you?" Glenda asked suspiciously.

"It's Miranda," she whispered. Glenda looked away for a moment, and back at Mira.

"Miri? You're dead," she stated matter-of-factly. Mira shook her head. "You were gone. I never saw you again," Glenda started to trail off. "You killed your father," she mumbled. A tear formed in the corner of Mira's eye.

"I didn't kill him. He tried to kill me. Don't you remember what he did to me?" Mira asked, accusingly. Glenda tried to remember.

"What? Sing you songs every night?" Mira looked at her mother, bewildered.

"No! He beat me! He beat you! I can't believe you wouldn't remember that?" she began to get louder. "He tried to kill me," she wept.

"No, no, no. I can't. I can't think about that. It's too sad. No, I won't. No," Glenda began to ramble.

"It's okay, Momma. I'm here, everything's okay." Mira ran her hand over her mother's hair and smiled. "I'm happy to see you again." She took her mother's hand and stared into her eyes. "I'm happy to be here," Mira echoed again.

"Thank you," Glenda whispered with a smile on her lips, and a look of peace in her eyes. "You're making me happy," Glenda noted. Mira nodded.

"I found Gabriel," she whispered. Her mother tried to recollect the boy she referred to.

"The boy that lived down the street?" Mira was amazed she could remember him. In fact, she didn't think she ever told her about him.

"Did I ever tell you about him?" she whispered. Glenda shook her head.

"I heard you leave your room, every night. I watched you walk down to his house one night. I could feel both of your energies. You both were so sad."

"I'm having his baby," she whispered. Her mother stared at her in awe.

"Are you both happy now?" Glenda asked, almost vacantly.

"He's dead," Mira choked out. "And it's my fault. I have the same powers as you. I can feel stuff. Too much," she admitted. A look of fear crossed Glenda's face.

"No…not you too," she began to panic and Mira could feel her heart racing too. "You don't need this curse," she cried. She grew quiet as she stared off into space. "He's not dead," she mumbled.

"Who's not dead?" Mira asked in disbelief.

"That boy. I can still feel his pain. He's still out there. He's not happy about the baby," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"Mom, stop! Don't do this," Mira pleaded. "He's dead, but it's okay. I have to move on. You have to stay happy, stay positive," she mumbled the last two words as she closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears. Mira directed as much positive energy at her mother as she could.

"You should just kill yourself now. Save yourself the years of pain you will surely face," Glenda forewarned. Mira's concentration broke when she realized what her mother had just said to her. Her own mother wanted her dead. Mira got angry.

"You should have killed yourself before you had me," Mira fought back. Her mother looked at her, bewildered. "I hate you," she seethed.

"GET OUT!" Glenda screamed. Dr. Bernstein and Noah quickly entered the room. "Get her out of here! I can't stand it! Get her out! Get her out! Leave!!!" she screamed frantically. Noah grabbed Mira's arm and pulled her a step away as Dr. Goldstein adjusted her IV. He restrained Glenda and turned towards Noah and Mira.

"I think it's best if you go now. Leave your contact information with the receptionist downstairs. I'd like to speak to you again." Noah smiled and waved as her urged Mira to leave. She looked back one last time, to see her mother wailing. She took a deep breath and wiped the single tear forming in the corner of her eye. She scowled as she turned to walk away.

*****


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

Noah unlocked the car doors. "Where do you want to go now?" he offered.

"Anywhere. Far, far away," she muttered.

"Why don't I buy you some dinner, and I'll take you home so you can relax," Noah offered. "Your mother got pretty heated. What did she say?"

"She said she wished I was dead," Mira muttered. Noah glanced at her, worried.

"She's delusional, Mira. She doesn't know what she's saying," he tried to comfort her. She shook her head and stared ahead blankly.

"I'm gonna end up just like her," she whispered.

"No, you won't. You're stronger than she is. You know how to control it. Why do you think everyone kept pushing you to be better? So that you don't end up like that. I've seen too many people lose control of their powers. New York almost exploded because of a man with uncontrollable power."

"Wait, so…how long have you known about my mother? It's not like you just found out about her today and ran to tell me," she accused.

"No, I didn't. Angela Petrelli told me about it."

"How the hell does Angela know about my mother?" She asked, starting to become irritated. Noah let out a sigh.

"Angela has known your mother for years. They were friends when they were in school. They lost contact during their college years. When she heard about your father's death, she searched for you. She wanted to make sure that you were taken care of. She got your mom into that facility; she's the one that anonymously paid for your college."

Mira couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Why didn't Angela say anything?"

"Some things are better left unsaid," Noah answered. "Don't be angry at her. She was just trying to help."

"I'm not angry, I'm just…"

"Frustrated, I know," he admitted.

"Why's it seem like everyone else knows more about me than I do?" He shrugged in response.

"Maybe you need to decide what you want and how you're going to achieve it." He pulled the car over in front of her building. She stared out the window for a moment before getting out. "Take care of yourself, Mira," Noah said as he gazed at her. "I'll be leaving town tomorrow, and I don't know when I'll be back. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." He rubbed her shoulder. She stared at him with a sad smile and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for doing this. You're almost like the father I never had," she admitted as she stepped out of the car. "Take care of your own self, Bennet." She waved and walked to her door. He watched her fumble with her keys before unlocking the door and gliding inside. He pulled out his phone and took a deep breath.

"Parkman, I need a favor…" Noah pleaded.

*

An hour later, Mira sat in a chair on her balcony, staring out over the glowing city. She thought about what her mother had said. Sylar wasn't dead? How would she know? She had never even met him. Her mother was probably just falling back into her delusions. But what if she were right? What if he was alive? Mira turned her thoughts to her belly…what if the baby turned out just like him? She climbed onto the concrete wall that lined her balcony.

She stood on the ledge, trying to decide whether it was worth living, passing on her curse to the next. There was a pain in the side of her head and she froze in her tracks.

_Turn around, and get down off the ledge. You will not jump. You have to get down from there…_the voice in her head commanded. She slowly turned around and came face to face with Matt Parkman. _Give me your hands,_ he telepathically commanded. She reached forward and he grabbed her hands to help her down.

"What the hell were you doing?" He asked her, trying not to shake her by her shoulders. He grabbed his head, which was aching after using his telepathy on her.

"I…I don't know…" Mira broke down. He hugged her and led her inside. They both flopped down on the sofa and sat there, quiet for a minute.

"Why were you up there?" he asked. It was inconceivable to him.

"I found my mother today."

"Didn't go very well, did it?" She shook her head.

"She's unstable. She said that I should just kill myself. Save myself any further pain. Maybe she's right. I don't want to be like her," she confessed. He let out a heavy sigh.

"Just because your mom ended up that way, doesn't mean you will. Are you seriously following the advice of someone you consider 'unstable'? Are YOU nuts?" Matt reminded her.

"I don't know. I just don't want my kid to end up like this. Or like his father, for that matter…" she motioned towards her stomach.

"Wow…so you're…" She nodded and smiled half-heartedly. Matt could barely grasp the concept. "Noah should have warned me," he muttered under his breath.

"Bennet shoulda toldya what? What's he got to do with this? Did he send you here to spy on me?" she accused him.

"Woah, hey there. Calm down. I'm not spying on you. He called me, he was worried about you, and asked if I might just come over and see if you're okay."

"I'm fine!" she folded her arms and turned away from him.

"Yeah, because people who are fine try jumping off buildings. That's just fine," Matt countered. When she could not think of anything else to say, Mira stomped her feet, screamed, and locked herself in the bathroom.

"Just go home! Leave me alone!" she yelled from the other side of the locked door.

"Mira, you're acting like a little kid. Tantrums don't work for adults. I don't want to, but I will force you to open the door, if I have to. Don't make me do that." There was nothing but silence on her side. "Okay, well I'm staying right here until you come out. I'm not moving from this spot until you chose to leave the bathroom."

He slid down the wall, next to the door.

"Come on, Mira," he whined. He leaned forward and tried to peak under the door. He couldn't see her, but he could hear her crying. He could feel what she felt. He stared off into space, just waiting for the door to unlock, as sleepiness crept up on him. He looked at his watch. It was already 10:41pm. It had been a long day. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. Within a moment, he was out like a light.

*

Mira slowly opened the door to the bathroom and almost tripped over Matt, who had fallen asleep waiting for her. She stepped over him and walked over to her couch. She pushed the pillows to one side and went back to Matt.

"Okay Matt, come on, let's get you on the sofa," she said as she tried to help him up. He groaned and stirred in his sleep.

She telepathically lifted him and grabbed his arm to lead him to the couch. She pushed him over as he stood over the sofa. He fell face first into the gray microsuede fabric. She covered him with the quilt flopped over the back of the couch. She brushed the hair out of her eyes and rubbed her hand across her lower back.

Mira went into her bedroom to change. When she reappeared, Matt was still sound asleep. She turned off the TV and the light on the side table, next to the sofa. She stared out of the large picture window overlooking the dark streets. What if her mother was right? What if Sylar were still alive?

Mira had a flashback to the day after Sylar saved her. She remembered him, cutting his wrist. It healed instantaneously. But she saw what Noah did to him. She saw Sylar's face – there's no way he was alive. But her mother, as crazy as she was, said she felt his presence. And if she concentrated hard enough, in a way, Mira did too.

Mira decided she'd find out in the morning.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

Mira couldn't sleep very well. She had tossed and turned all night long. She finally decided to stay awake well before the sun rose. She took a shower and changed into everyday attire. She slowly crept out of her room, closing the door softly behind her. Matt was still asleep on the couch.

She grabbed her purse and a jacket, and then left.

Matt woke up a few hours later, wondering how he ended up alone. A note was left on the coffee table.

"Help yourself to some breakfast. Just ran out for a minute, will be back soon. –Mira" he read aloud. He got up and went to the kitchen. There was still warm coffee in the pot, and a box of doughnut mini-bites on the countertop. He flipped open lid the lid and grabbed one as he poured a cup of coffee. He sipped his coffee and wondered if he should go after her.

His phone rang from his coat pocket, across the room. He hurried to get it. He had 4 missed calls. He called his voicemail, and a look of concern crossed his face. He threw his jacket on and grabbed the note Mira had left him. He scribbled something on the back of it and dropped it back onto the coffee table as he left the apartment.

*

She didn't plan on going there, but something drew her towards the old watch shop. She hadn't been near it since everything that had happened. Maybe there was something she missed. Maybe she'd find a token of him - proof that he even existed. She sighed as she crossed a busy street and headed towards the building. She was at the front door when she glanced over her shoulder and saw a familiar figure walking on the other side of the street. It was Noah Bennet.

She ducked into a small cove near the door. She watched him as he walked past, towards a building she had seen before. She waited a few minutes, watching him to be sure. She slowly followed on the opposite side of the street as him. He ducked into the familiar large gray building. It was where she had met Rachel. Where the guys came out of when Sylar was killed.

Mira quickly crossed the street when he was out of view. He dipped down over a hill and towards a door labeled "exit". A man approached him as he reached for the door. She hid behind some shrubs and listened intently.

"Did you move the body yet?" Bennet asked him. She could see the other man shake his head. No, he hadn't moved anything. "He needs to be out of here within the hour," Noah warned.

"No problem," the other man nodded his head in agreence. Noah took his hand off the doorknob and turned around. He started heading back towards her. She dipped out of the scene and wandered off a few yards, around some trash cans. Noah went back the way he came, and when he was out of distance, she made a b-line to the door he entered.

The man he spoke to was no where to be found, so she slowly opened the door and peered in. There was no one in the hallway. She entered the building. To her right was a door to a stairwell, and after that was the elevator. She crept past them, continuing down the hallway.

She passed a door on her left, and then another with a large glass window. She realized she had just passed the room she was confined to with Rachel for 72 hours. She continued forward, where there were more rooms with large observation windows. One room she passed by had fresh blood on the walls and floor. She tried to wipe the sight from her mind.

At the end of the corridor was a janitor's closet to the left of what looked like an exit door, with one of the double doors propped open. She peered inside and saw what she guessed was a morgue - a wall of stainless steel doors with white cards inserted in the front of them with a name and age.

She searched for Sylar. Within moments she found him – "Gabriel Gray", and unlatched the door. She swung it open and pulled out the metal frame holding a body bag. She unzipped it and shook as she stared at his face. He was drained of all his color, his lips blue. She bit her lip as she stared at the pair of pliers sticking out of the back of his head.

They could have at least removed those, she thought to herself. Her hand grasped the handles of the pliers and shook as she struggled to pull them out. She barely moved then an inch when she stopped. Maybe I shouldn't, she thought again. She pulled her hand away slowly. She was debating whether to continue when she heard a hand on the doorknob.

"Good-bye, Gabriel. I love you." She touched his face one last time and zipped up the body bag. She shoved him back in the wall and slammed the door shut.

Two men entered the room. They stared at her, perplexed as to why she was just standing there. She smiled at the one man, and then at the other. They both smiled back. "Sorry, I think I got lost," she said softly.

"I love you," one whispered as he stared at her. His friend looked at him in disbelief.

"I saw her first, man," he said to his friend. They began to argue amongst each other. Mira quickly slipped out of the emergency exit. The two guards realized she left and ran after her. She was already gone, lost in a sea of pedestrians crossing a busy road.

"Shit!" the one dude screamed at his older coworker. "She's gone! Quick – go see if she did anything to the corpse. I gotta call Bennet," the leader said as his friend ran back inside. He flipped open his cell phone.

*

Mira continued to run even after she was out of sight. She slowed down once she had a dull pain in her back. She wasn't made to do these things in her second trimester. She slowed to a brisk walk as she turned a corner and headed back home.

She arrived back at her apartment a little later. She wasn't surprised to see Matt had left, just a little disappointed. On the table, she noticed the letter she left him. She reached for it before flopping onto the couch, exhausted. She noticed something on the back of it. She flipped it over to see Matt's note.

"Mira, had something come up. Please call when you get this. Want to make sure you're safe. –Matt," she read to herself. There was a number jotted down below. She copied the number into her phone and tossed the note back down. She texted him, "Just got home, am fine. Will talk to you later," she responded. She closed her phone and tossed it on the table. She closed her eyes and began to drift off.

*

She suddenly awakened when she heard the door bell ring. She sat straight up. Was it just a dream? No, it rang again. She swung herself up and peeked out of the peephole. It was Peter. He looked exhausted, like he had been running for days. She quickly unlocked the deadbolt and ushered him in. He collapsed on the sofa.

"Peter?! Are you okay?" she asked, eyeing him as he groaned in agony. His clothes…they didn't fit right. There was blood on the back on his shirt. "What happened?" she asked with urgency.

She watched his face as it began to change. She gasped as he began to morph into someone else.

"My God," she whispered as Sylar returned to himself. "How are you here?" she cried, as fear set in. She began to panic. Was it really him? How could this be? Her mind raced with a million questions.

He groaned as his features returned to normal. "Mira," he whispered.

"You're dead. I saw you die. You can't be here," she mumbled as she kneeled beside him on the floor. She sobbed and shook her head. "How are you here?!" she shrieked at him. He shied away from her.

"I woke up in a morgue. A man unzipped my body-bag, and to his surprise I was awake." he stated as he rubbed the back of his head. Although it was healed, it was still caked in dried blood. She shook as she reached out to touch him. "Miss me?" he asked her, sarcastically. She broke down again, and threw herself over him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her head against his chest. He pushed her hair out of her face and rubbed her cheek as she cried.

"I guess I forgive you," he said, reluctantly. He closed his eyes, he was exhausted. She slowly slid back down to her knees. She turned around, and leaned herself against the sofa – her back was killing her. Sylar's hand slowly slid down over her shoulder, and rested on her stomach.

"I missed you," she admitted. He rubbed his hand over her belly, something suddenly jolted under his hand. He stopped moving.

"What was that?" he asked with caution. It happened again. He pressed a little harder, and could feel something move.

Mira sighed and stood up, facing him. It was obvious what he just felt.

"You're…" he was at a loss for words. They both knew what she was - pregnant.

"Yeah," she answered, defensively.

"Is it…"

"No," she cut him off.

"You're lying," he assumed.

"Am I?" she whispered. He was tempted to use his power to tell if she were, but this was becoming fun.

"If it's not mine, then whose is it?" he questioned.

"Matt's," she lied.

"Parkman?" Sylar laughed. "You've got to be kidding." She frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. "You can do so much better."

"Matt's a good man. He would do anything for me and the baby. He kept me from killing myself," she answered honestly.

"Okay, I don't need my powers to know you're full of it," Sylar cut in.

Mira's phone rang. She got up and dug it out of her purse. '1 Missed Call' flashed across the screen. It was Noah Bennet. Her heart began to race as she thought about why he was calling. It was only a matter of time before he figured out it was her in the morgue. She was almost surprised that he didn't call sooner. The phone beeped once, with a new voicemail. She listened to it.

"Don't want to talk to your baby daddy?" Sylar smiled evilly from the sofa. She shooshed him as she listened to the message.

"Mira, It's Noah. I need to talk to you immediately. I'm gonna swing by before I leave the city. I should see you soon." She hung up the phone and walked to a window. She saw him entering the building.

"You have to go. It's Noah, he's here!" she began to panic. Sylar stood up and grabbed her shoulders.

"It's okay. I passed your neighbor in the hallway," he admitted. She looked at him confused. What did her neighbor have to do with it? Within moments he morphed into a thin blond woman. There was a tap at the door. Mira looked up, startled. Sylar motioned for her to open the door. She got up, staring back at him.

"Noah, what are you doing here?" She asked with a smile.

"I need to talk to you," he spoke softly. She looked at Sylar. "Who's this?" he asked, directly. Mira acted surprised at his urgency.

"This is Jill, my neighbor," she motioned to Sylar, who waved with a smile.

"Mira, who's this handsome man?" he asked, approaching Noah.

"Jill, this is Mr. Bennet," Mira tried to say without laughing.

"So..is this the…" Sylar pointed at her stomach and back to Noah.

"No! God, no," Mira began to laugh. "No, Jill. We'll talk about that later," she tried to hold back her chuckles as she ushered her friend to the door. "Thanks for stopping by, it was nice to meet you!" Mira waved as she ushered Sylar out the door. He turned around and smiled evilly as he left.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

Noah smiled, almost a knowing smile. Mira sensed that he was suspicious, but she knew how to make it work to her advantage. He taught her that.

"Nice to see you're making friends," he noted. "What was her name?"

"Jill," Mira responded. Noah nodded.

"What's her last name?" He quizzed her. She smiled. She remembered seeing it on her mailbox.

"Humphries," she stated, confidently. He seemed appeased by that answer and changed the subject.

"There was an incident today…" he started. She stared at him wide-eyed, and innocently.

"What happened?" she whispered.

"Sylar's body…it's missing," he responded.

"His…his body?" she acted startled. "What do you mean it's missing? Did someone dig him up or something?" she played dumb.

"No, it was in a morgue. Two men went to claim the body, and it was gone. Funny…I was told that when they went in there, a pregnant woman was standing there, distracted them and left the building."

"What are you trying to say?" she asked.

"Mira, I know you were there. I have pictures of you. What did you do with him?" he asked. She acted like she was offended, and pursed her lips.

"I didn't do anything with anyone. I mean, yeah, okay, so I was there."

"How did you find out where he was?" Noah asked.

"I saw you, walking towards the building. I followed you. I overheard you say something about moving a body. I thought maybe Sylar would be there. I just wanted to know for sure he was dead."

"You saw him die," Noah countered. Mira rubbed her temples, becoming frustrated.

"Yeah and I had seen him heal before too! I just had to make sure it was real. My mother said he was still alive. I had to prove her wrong," she admitted. "When I saw his face, I knew he was dead. He'd never hurt anyone again. I said good-bye, and I zipped him back up and stuffed him back in his locker." She paused to take a deep breath. "I just needed some closure," a tear trickled from the corner of her eye. She brushed it away quickly.

"Did you touch him? Did you do anything to the body? What did you do?" he interrogated her. She shook her head.

"I touched his face, closed his eyes, and left. I never had any intention to do anything else, and I never did."

"When my friend returned from chasing you, his friend disappeared. He waited for me to show up before he did anything. When we unzipped the body-bag, it wasn't Sylar inside."

"So where is he?" she pretended to be nervous. She made Noah feel the same.

"I was hoping you'd tell me," he answered.

"You think I did something with him? How would I drag off a dead body? Why would I?" she was becoming insulted by the questions.

"Mira, he's alive. First place he'll come is here, if he hasn't already," he warned her. "I think you should leave town with me." Mira stared at him in disbelief.

"Yeah, right. Just up and leave? Where the hell would I go?"

"You could stay in California, with Claire…"

"Oh no, no no. That will not happen. I'm happy here."

"Happy? Are you sure? Matt called me. I think you may need a change of scenery," Noah argued.

"You know what? I'm sick and tired of people telling me how to live my life. I'm a grown woman who's about to be a mother. I can take care of myself! My father's dead, and I don't need another one!"

She could tell the last line hurt Noah. She knew that he cared about her. He just wanted her safe. But she wasn't his child. He had no say in what she did. It was her life.

"Look, I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I just want you to be safe. I know everything there is to know about Sylar. I know what he's capable of. I know that he is dangerous. I just want you to wake up, and see him for what he really is."

"I'm not worried about Sylar. He's not going to hurt me," she declared.

"Oh, are you sure about that? Seems to me like you turned on him. You betrayed him, Mira. You've never seen what happens to people that turn on him, have you?"

She stayed quiet, staring at the floor. She pretended to think about what he was saying. She looked back at him. "I can handle myself," she reminded him. "I was trained by the best."

Noah smiled shyly. He didn't expect a compliment. "I know you were. That doesn't change him though. He may kill you or your child," he pleaded with her.

"I won't let that happen. Just trust me."

"I trust you, I just don't trust him," he responded. He looked around the apartment for a moment.

"Please, call me if he comes here." She nodded in agreence. He walked towards the door. "I'll be in touch," he said, before leaving the apartment.

The door slammed shut behind him and she let out a sigh of relief. She was relieved that was over.

*

Noah stood in the elevator, waiting to reach the ground floor. Finally, the doors opened. Noah brushed past a thin blond woman who was getting on. He glanced at her, she looked familiar.

"Jill?" he asked as he turned around. The woman looked up from her phone. "Jill Humphries?" he asked. She shook her head.

"My name's Diane," she answered as the doors shut. He gritted his teeth, as he realized the woman earlier must have been Sylar. What was worse, was that Mira actually lied to him.

He stood there for a moment, contemplating whether to go up and confront Mira with this news. He shook his head, cursed under his breath, and left the building. He picked up his phone to make a call as he loaded into a taxi.

*

Mira watched the cars outside. She couldn't tell if Noah had left or not. What if he was monitoring her home? What if he had people watching her? If she did leave town, it certainly wouldn't be with Bennet, and it would be on her own terms. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was all too much to think about.

She needed something to do, to distract herself. She couldn't stay in the apartment any longer.

She grabbed her coat and left.


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

Sylar wandered the streets of the city. He had so many questions, with so few answers. Why did she turn on him? Why did he forgive her? Was the baby his? He felt, deep down, it had to be. Why did she say it was Parkman's? Was he ready to be a father?

He meandered past a small used book store. Something caught his eye, and he stared in the window – it was Mira. She was standing there, flipping through a book. When she sat it back on the shelf, he could see what had grabbed her interest – Activating Evolution, by Chandra Suresh. If only she knew, that was what started it all, he thought smugly to himself. If it weren't for Dr. Suresh, he would have never taken the road he had. His life would be different. He may have had a chance at a happy life, with Mira.

But the way things were now, he wasn't sure if that would ever happen. At that moment he had two options. He could just leave, disappear. Do what everyone expected him to do, and just walk away. He could pretend he actually believed her, that the child in her womb was Matt Parkman's. It seemed to be what she wanted. If she wanted him involved, she would have told him it was his.

The other option was harder. He could suck it up, own up to his faults, and try to be a better person. Would it even work in the end though? Could he even become the father this child deserved? How could a mass murderer ever settle down into a normal life? How could someone who took lives so swiftly, take care of another person?

His thoughts turned to his own childhood and his parents. He inherited his father's power, would the baby too? Or would he be more like Mira? What if he couldn't take family life? Would he do what his real father did? He tried to shake the thought. He refused to be just like him.

He looked up at her again. She had wandered down the aisle a bit, picking up various books. Why did he care so much about her? The idea of love was like a foreign language to him. Of course, he cared for his mother, but with Mira it was different. He was drawn to her. Inside, he knew she needed him, and he didn't want to disappoint her, even if he knew he probably would eventually. If she didn't need him, she would have walked away months ago. He would never admit it, but he needed her too. She brought something out in him, he never knew could exist. It was like his mind was clear when he was with her. He didn't think about powers, or blood lust. He thought about her. She was a puzzle he was desperate to figure out.

Mira looked like she was getting bored with the store. She fumbled for something in her purse and slowly made her way to the register. It was time for him to make up his mind, and decide what he wanted.

*

Mira stood at the register with a handful of books. A man had entered the store, and quickly grabbed a book. He got in line behind her. The man peered over her shoulder, checking out her selection of reading material.

"That's quite a mixture you've got there," he noted as he read the bindings of the books. She smiled and turned around, acknowledging him. "Sci-fi, non-fiction, parenting, romance…and evolution? Wow, I'd love to see what's going on inside your head," he said. She smiled uncomfortably, and tried to ignore the man.

"So what are you going to read first?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I thought this one was pretty interesting," she said holding up the book by Dr. Suresh.

"Ah, I've read that one myself. Changed my life," he said. She looked at him curiously, something was strange about this guy.

"In what way?" she asked, perplexed.

"I met Dr. Suresh after reading the book. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be the man I am today."

"Wow, big fan huh?"

"Not really," he said. His answer caught her off guard. Mira paid for the books and turned around to leave.

"Nice meeting you," she said as she quickly hurried out of the store. The man followed her out. She could hear him behind her. "Can I help you?" she asked as she spun around abruptly. She'd had enough.

"I was wondering if you wanted to grab some lunch with me?" She looked at him speechless.

"Ok, first off, I don't know you and you're kinda creeping me out. Secondly, what kinda idiot hits on a pregnant woman? Wouldn't you assume I'm married?"

"Are you?" he asked. She looked away.

"No."

"So then you're available?" She furrowed her brows and frowned.

"No, I have a boyfriend," she warned. He laughed.

"So now he's your boyfriend?" he asked with a wicked smile.

"Who?" she asked bewildered.

"Parkman…" she stared at him wide-eyed. Within a moment she realized who it was standing in front of her.

"Sylar, you jackass! Don't ever do that to me again!" she said as she punched him in the arm. He laughed at her weak shot at him. "And quit morphing…or whatever it is you're doing. It's creepy," she warned as she turned away from him and began to walk down the street.

"Well I can't really be seen as myself with you. What if *gasp* Noah finds us?" he said with mocked exclamation. She rolled her eyes at him. He did kind of make sense. "So, you wanna get some lunch?" he asked, changing the subject. She sighed.

"I guess. Since I know you're not just some random weirdo anymore. Well, you're still weird, but at least I know you," she reasoned.

"You are just so hilarious…" he said as he put his arm around her shoulders. She was caught off guard by his friendliness. Was it really Sylar? She eyed him suspiciously.

"Why are you being so sweet?" she asked. He frowned.

"I'm not sweet."

"I know, that's what's so odd. I mean, just because you look like someone else doesn't mean you have to take on a new personality too. You're still you, so act like it."

"I thought this was what you would want," he answered, a little offended. "You've changed…" he pointed out.

"Yeah, well, watching the man you love die in front of your eyes can do that to a person," she said bitterly. "And then try finding out you're pregnant with his child." she whispered. He stopped her, and held her face in his hands.

"So it is mine," he clarified. She smiled and looked down.

"Yes, he's yours," she confirmed. She placed his hand on her stomach. He was kicking again. Sylar let out a small smile.

"He?" Sylar was surprised that she had already found out what it was. She blushed a little.

"I have a feeling. Haven't found out for sure yet," she admitted. "I just hate calling him an 'it'…he's more than that," she said softly. Sylar stared deeply into her eyes. "What?" she asked, self-consciously.

"I love you," he murmured.

"I told you to stop being nice, you're creeping me out!" she warned. She tried to turn away, but he pulled her back into him.

"I'm dead serious," he confessed. "I've never done this before. I don't know how it works, or what will happen, but I've got forever to think about those things. Right now, all I know, is that I want you, more than I've wanted anything else."

Mira was blown away by his confession. She never thought that he would ever say that. She didn't know how to respond. Just hours earlier, she was saying good-bye to him forever. She was ready to move on, and now she couldn't. She looked at the ground, as tears formed in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, gently. He rubbed his thumb across her tears.

"I…" she stammered for a moment. "I will always love you," she said honestly, "but I just…I don't know if I'm ready for this. I don't think you are either." A look of hurt crossed his face. "I don't want to hurt you," she said as she reached for his face. He pulled away.

"That's fine," he said, coldly. He looked away. He didn't know how to handle this type of rejection.

"I'm sorry," she started. He cut her off.

"Don't. Don't worry, I won't bother you again," he remarked snidely.

"Gabriel, please, don't-" she pleaded as he walked way.

"It's Sylar," he hissed as he turned away. Mira stared off into space as he took a few steps away from her. She closed her eyes and rubbed her hands down her face.

"What am I gonna do?" she wondered aloud. She opened her eyes and looked up at the sky for an answer, a sign, anything. A dark figure on top of a building caught her eye. She could see the figure. She saw something long and thin in the person's hands. Was it a sniper with a gun? She tried to shake the thought out of her head. Stranger things have happened, she thought to herself. She looked down the sidewalk, Sylar was just a little ways away from her. She surveyed the area around her. She remembered Noah telling her how to tell if people were following or watching her.

She saw a man sitting at a table, gazing up at the man on the building. He had a cellphone to his ear. Another man on the other side of the street sat with a cup of coffee, and was browsing the newspaper. Every few seconds he looked up, in the direction of the man at the table. The man at the table looked at Mira. She caught his gaze, and looked away quickly.

"Oh no," she whispered. The man on the building now had his rifle set up. Mira mentally followed the aim of the gun. It seemed to be pointing down at something in front of her. The sniper was ready to do his job, and if she was correct, she knew exactly who his target was. They must have been following her. They must have known it was him.

Mira ran after Sylar. "Gabriel!" she screamed. He ignored her and kept walking. "Stop! Wait!" she screamed. He kept walking. "Get down!" she screamed as she jumped at him. Suddenly, there was a gunshot, and the people on the street stopped to see what was going on.

Sylar turned around just in time to see her falling towards him. He caught her.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked. She didn't respond. "Mira?" he asked quickly. She collapsed in his arms.

He gently lowered her to the ground. As he laid her down, he could feel blood all over his hands. She had been shot.

*


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19**

"Mira, stay with me," he whispered as he picked her up. A taxi was stopped on the other side of the street. He carried her to the car.

"I need your car," he commanded. The man looked at him indignantly.

"I'm not giving you my car; I'll take you wherever you want to go." Sylar telepathically swung the driver's side door open.

"Get out," he warned the man. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and left the car. Sylar sat Mira in the passenger seat and got in. He took off. As he was driving, he transformed back to himself. He didn't want a stranger's face to be the last thing she saw, if she were to die.

Mira flashed in and out of consciousness as she entered the hospital. Sylar carried her into the building, covered in blood. Nurses ran to get her from him. He placed her on a stretcher and the medical team carted her off immediately. Sylar tried to follow.

"Sir, sir!" a nurse tried to get his attention. "I'm sorry, they're going to take her straight to surgery, you can't go with her," she informed him. He raised his hand in defense, but lowered it quickly. He knew she was right. He turned around to exit.

"Sir, I'm Dr. Collins, can I ask you what happened?" the man approached him.

"What's it look like? She was shot," he muttered.

"Well, I assumed that. Do you know who shot her?"

"I don't know! She called my name, I turned around, and she collapsed. You figure it out," he remarked, snidely.

"Any health conditions we should be aware of?" the doctor asked as Sylar started to walk away.

"She's pregnant," he answered as he left the building. The doctor looked away, worried, before returning to the O.R.

*

Peter Petrelli grabbed his bag off the seat of the ambulance. He was speaking with his partner when a familiar face walked past.

"Peter?" his friend asked.

"What?" he said, realizing someone was talking to him. "I'm sorry, I gotta run," he said as he turned to follow Sylar.

"Sylar!" he yelled. Sylar looked over his shoulder and quickened his pace. Peter ran to catch up with him, but he was gone. He ran back to the emergency room doors and entered the building.

"A man…tall, light skin, dark hair…he just left. Do you know why he was here?" he asked one of the nurses. She shook her head, no.

"I think he brought in a girl that was shot," another nurse said. Peter tried to piece the story together.

"Where's the girl?" he asked.

"In surgery," she answered as she flipped through a chart. He ran past her, down the long hallway towards the operating rooms. He could see her on the table, it was Mira. He pulled out his cell phone.

"Mom, I think you should come to the hospital…there's been an accident," he began.

*

About an hour later, Angela and Peter Petrelli met outside of the hospital.

"Has she come out of surgery yet?" she asked as they walked towards the building.

"Not yet. I haven't been able to get any information yet. They say I'm not family, so they can't tell me anything," he said, holding the door open for her.

"Who's the doctor attending to her?" Angela asked. He shrugged.

"Like I said, they wouldn't tell me anything," he responded.

"Excuse me," Angela interrupted the nurse who had a phone to her ear. The woman looked up, impatiently. "Which doctor is performing surgery on the shooting victim?"

"Dr. Collins," she said, before returning to her phone call. Angela smiled.

"So?" Peter asked her.

"Dr. Collins happens to be a friend of mine," she replied. "I'm sure he'll let us know what's going on," she said as she took a seat in the waiting room. Peter took a seat next to her.

"I saw Sylar leaving here," Peter whispered to her. She stared ahead, waiting for someone to come out. "If he did this to her…"

"If Sylar shot her, why would he bring her to a hospital?" Angela answered, logically.

"I don't know. I just…"

"Sylar isn't trustworthy. But it's obvious that there is a connection between the two," she answered. "I had a dream, I saw him sitting next to her in a hospital room. I believe he cares for her." She didn't bother to mention the details of her dream. She knew her son had feelings for Mira, even though they were unwarranted.

"Is he even capable of caring for someone?" Peter asked. Angela sighed.

"The very best people can do the most horrible things, and vice versa. Not everything is black and white." Peter sat quiet for a moment.

Soon, Dr. Collins came out of the operating room. He glanced around the room, hoping to see the man that had brought her in again.

"Marty!" Angela shouted across the waiting room. The doctor recognized her and approached her.

"Good to see you again, Angela. How are you?"

"I heard you're operating on a woman who was just shot?" He nodded.

"Her name is Mira Ensley. I practically raised her after her father died," she exaggerated.

"How is she?" Peter jumped in. There was no time for idle chatter.

"Unfortunately, she has lost a lot of blood. The bullet pierced her abdomen, and ruptured the uterus," he said. "We were able to retrieve the bullet and stop the bleeding, but it's very serious."

"What about the baby?" Angela asked. Peter looked at his mother, confused.

"Mira's pregnant?" Peter couldn't believe it. No one bothered to mention it before.

"Well," he sighed. "I paged my best pediatric surgeon, and she's in with Mira now, trying to assess the situation. There's a good chance we're going to have to do a C-section. Do you know how far along she is?" he asked.

"About 4 or 5 months," Angela answered. He shook his head. "I have to be honest, the chance of survival for a fetus that young…it's very bleak."

"Can we see her?" Peter asked.

"I'd like to let Dr. Carrington assess her first."

"I understand," Angela answered. "Can I give you my information so you can contact me when we can see her?" He nodded as he grabbed a notepad from the nurses station. He scribbled down her phone number and gave her a hug.

"I'll call you as soon as I have an update," he answered. She shook his hand and smiled.

"Thank you, Marty. I owe you," she offered as he turned to head back to Mira.

"So we're leaving?" Peter asked. Angela nodded.

"There's nothing we can do for her at the moment."

"Have you called Noah?" he asked.

"No. He just left for California a few hours ago. I'll give him some time before I tell him. He's on a personal mission that I shouldn't interrupt right now." Peter looked at his mother suspiciously.

"I think he'd want to know," he suggested.

"Darling, it's okay. I'll tell him when the time is right," she said as she wrapped her hand around his arm. "Let's get out of here. Hospitals aren't my favorite place to be," she said as she led him out into the sunlight.

*

Sylar stared at the ground as his world seemed to be crashing down around him. One moment, he's confessing his love for her, the next she's rejecting him, and then she falls into his arms, almost dead. She sacrificed herself to save him. Why would she bother? She knew he wouldn't die. Maybe she wanted to. No, he couldn't let that happen. He needed to go back. He needed to see if she was okay.


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20**

Angela Petrelli tapped a manicured nail against her wooden desktop. It had been hours since she and Peter had left the hospital, and no word from Dr. Collins yet.

She debated calling Noah Bennet. He had gone back to California, to try to salvage what was left of his marriage. She knew the news would be devastating to him. He almost considered her one of his own, after spending months with her, training her, getting her to control her powers.

But his family was falling apart. He hadn't seen his wife, Sandra, in weeks, and hadn't even spoken to his son, Lyle, in what seemed to be months. Had it really been that long? At least there was Claire. They may have had their share of ups and downs, but they seemed to be on a good note recently. He was hoping she could help convince her mother to reconsider divorce.

Angela weighed her options. Not that his personal problems were her concern, but if Angela told him what happened now, he'd leave California, and have no chance of reconciliation. After all, Claire is her grand-daughter, she wants her to have a stable, happy family. Even if the Petrelli's couldn't offer it.

Just as she was about to cave in and call Bennet, the phone rang. It was Dr. Collins, and he had some serious news.

*

Noah Bennet took a deep breath as he knocked on the front door of his old home. He hadn't been there in months, and almost felt like a stranger standing there, waiting for the door to open. He heard Mr. Muggles yipping as he ran to the door. He could hear Lyle shouting at the dog to shut up as he came down the steps. He was in shock when he opened the door to reveal his father standing in front of him.

"Dad!" he exclaimed. Noah smiled and hugged his son.

"I missed you, Lyle."

"Lyle, who is it?" a voice asked from the other room.

"It's dad!" he shouted back. Claire slowly came around the corner. She smiled.

"I missed you," she said as he gave her a hug.

"Where's your mother?" he asked, looking around.

"Oh, she went to the grocery store. She'll be back in a little bit. What are you doing here?" Claire was almost suspicious of her father. Not that she never had a reason to be.

"I came home, because this is where I belong," he said. "I love you guys and miss you all so much." Mr. Muggles yipped as he danced in front of Noah's feet. "Even you, Muggles," he stated, patting the little dog on the head.

"So you're gonna try to work things out?" Lyle asked.

"I'm going to try. It depends on your mother, and what she wants. I don't know if she'll ever forgive me," he answered. Lyle looked away, he knew it was true.

"So are you going to stay this time?" Claire asked.

"I've given up the business. I'm here for good," he answered. She couldn't tell if he was lying or not. Even if he honestly had given it up, she knew it would only be a matter of time before he went running off again to chase down the bad guys, and save the day.

"How's school going, Lyle?" His son was about to answer when his phone rang. He ignored it and tried to listen to his son. It was only Angela, and he could call her later.

Noah's cell phone rang again, just a minute later. He stopped Lyle and picked it up.

"Let me just see who it is," he said as he answered the phone.

"Hello?" he asked. "Angela? What's wrong?" Claire rolled her eyes. That was a quick visit. "Oh my," he responded as he listened to her story. His face paled with worry. "I understand, I'll leave soon."

"Well that was a fun visit. See ya in another couple of months," Lyle said as he stormed off to his room. Noah was frustrated. Claire stared at her father, disapprovingly.

"So what's wrong with the Petrelli clan now?" Claire asked.

"It's Mira. She's been shot." he muttered as he headed towards the door.

"That's fine, your marriage can wait as usual," she reminded him. Noah could sense slight jealousy in Claire's tone.

"Claire-bear, I love you so much. You, Lyle, and your mother. But Mira's dying. They just did a C-section to try to save her baby, and they're not sure if she'll recover. She's slowly bleeding out, and they don't know from where. At the moment, they're giving her blood transfusions, trying to keep her alive."

Claire felt guilt swarm over her.

"Don't tell your mother I was here. I'll come back, once I know what's going on, and we'll take care of things then," he promised.

"I'm going with you," she stated.

"You don't need to worry about her. What's the point of you sitting around in a hospital all day?"

"My blood could save her! It saved you," she reminded him. He contemplated the thought. She was right.

"I don't want to upset your mother," he told her.

"If mom knew what was going on, she'd understand. And I'll explain it all when I get back. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask permission."

"Well, at least tell Lyle what's going on, so he can let your mom know." She nodded and headed upstairs. She threw a bunch of clothes into her gym bag, and emptied a bunch of toiletries on top.

"You ready?" Noah asked her as she came down the steps.

"Let's go."

*

The airplane ride seemed longer than it really was. Noah was quiet the entire trip, lost in his own thoughts. Claire watched her father as he stared off into space.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He snapped back to reality and looked at her with a smile.

"Nothing, I'm fine," he answered. She looked at him with doubt.

"You haven't said a word since we boarded the plane," she noted.

"I'm sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind."

"You seem really distant."

"I'm just worried about Mira," he said softly. She felt like there was more to the story than he let on, but she let it go. It'd come out eventually anyway.

*

Claire and Noah were greeted at the airport by Peter. He explained to them what he knew as they piled into the back of a taxi. They arrived at Angela Petrelli's home, and went inside to greet her.

"How are you, Claire?" she greeted her granddaughter with a hug. Claire pulled away.

"I'm fine," she said flatly.

"I didn't know you'd be coming too. It's a pleasant surprise."

"I just wanted to help," she said.

"Well, there's not much any of us can do," Angela informed her. "I'm afraid it may be too late. Mira's not doing well," she told her.

"So should we go?" Noah interrupted.

"Yes, I've got everything. Dr. Collins called just a little while ago. He said she's in ICU, but under the circumstances, we can go see her," Angela explained.

"Well then, let's be on our way," Noah said as he opened the front door.

"Peter, are you coming?" Claire asked as she turned around.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a little bit," he answered, meekly. She smiled and waved as her father ushered her out of the house.

"What's wrong with Pete?" she asked Angela.

"He's taking this pretty hard," she answered. "I think he cares much more about her than he tries to show."

Claire looked back at the house; she could see him through the window, a dark expression on his face. She got into the taxi and left.

*


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21**

Claire slowly walked into the hospital room where Mira laid with monitors, IV catheters and oxygen hooked up to her. Her skin was pale and looked thin, like it was almost transparent. Her eye had deep blue circles under them. So this is what death looks like, Claire thought to herself.

She sat down on the chair next to the hospital bed. Noah slowly made his way into the room after her. He stood with some distance between him and the bed, not sure if he should approach her.

"Angela, I'm glad you could come," Dr. Collins said as he walked into the room.

"Thank you for calling, Marty. Dr. Collins, this is Noah and Claire Bennet," she introduced them.

"Friends of Mira's?" he asked.

"Almost like family," Claire spoke up. Dr. Collins smiled at Claire, and looked at Noah, who was lost in his own thoughts again.

"So how's the baby?" Angela asked him.

"It's hard to say right now. He was just under 1 pound when we delivered him. He's still alive, which is a miracle in and of itself," he answered honestly. "We have him in an incubator right now, fighting to survive."

"So it's a boy?" Claire asked. He nodded.

"Do any of you know if she had a name in mind?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Angela said as she turned to leave the room. "Do you think we could see him?"

"I'm afraid I can't let you in the nursery. At this point, he's highly prone to infection. We can't have any contaminants enter the room. However, you can probably see him from the nursery window," he offered. Angela nodded.

"Could you show me where that is?" she asked. He nodded and she followed him out of the room.

Claire stood up as soon as the doctor left and began to roll up her sleeve. She started digging through the cabinets under the sink.

"What are you looking for?" Noah asked her.

"An IV line. Or syringe, or something…" she said as she opened and closed the doors.

"You're going to do it right now?" Noah seemed surprised.

"Well did you want me to wait until she's dead?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Either way she'll be healed, and I don't want the doctor to come back while you're doing it."

"I'll make it quick," she said as she grabbed a syringe from the cabinet. "Here, can you hit a vein?" she asked.

"We can't do this yet."

"Why not?"

"Because…how are we going to explain that her gunshot wound and C-section scar just miraculously healed on their own?" She didn't think about that part.

"Fine. I'm going to see if I can catch up with Angela and Dr. Collins," she said as she left the room. He nodded and slowly sat down in the chair. He rolled closer to the bed and held Mira's hand.

"I'm sorry, I never meant for any of this to happen," he said. "I never wanted to see you get hurt. I thought if I had Sylar killed, that you'd be happier in the long run. I underestimated you," he said, with a tear in his eye. "I never wanted any of this to happen," he confided in the sleeping woman.

"So this is your fault," he heard a man say from the doorway. Noah whipped around. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," Nathan said as he entered the room. "I know you would never intentionally hurt her," he tried to make him feel better.

"Nathan, I'm surprised you came," Noah answered.

"Yeah, well, mom told me what happened. Heidi and the boys are freaked out. They wanted me to make sure she's okay. So is she?" he asked. It was obvious he really didn't care one way or other.

"She will be. Doctors don't think so, but we know better." Nathan smiled a little.

"Well, I'm sure the boys will be happy to hear that."

"Did you hear about the baby?"

"I passed my mother in the hallway. They said his name was Noah," he said. Bennet looked up in shock. "I didn't even know she was pregnant."

"Why would she do that?"

"I guess she admired you," he stated with a shrug. Noah was wracked with guilt, and couldn't even look him in the eye. "Well, I'm going to go. I've got a meeting, and I need to let Heidi know how she's doing. Take care, Noah," he said as he left the room.

"You too, Nathan." He looked back at Mira with guilt in his eyes. This whole thing was his fault.

*

Dr. Collins returned with Angela and Claire. Claire smiled at her father as she entered the room.

"Dad, did you want to meet baby Noah?" she asked, with emphasis on his name. He smiled.

"Of course," he said as he stood up. He followed her to the nursery. Angela stood over Mira's body, staring at her pale face.

"I'm sorry, I failed you," she said aloud. "I promised your mother a long time ago, I would make sure you were taken care of. And now, here you are, sitting in a hospital bed, dying. If you make it through this…" she trailed off. There was no point in making promises to someone who couldn't even hear them. She took Mira's cold hand and held it. "You're going to be okay," she said as she folded her arm back down. She sat down in the chair, and stared off into space.

A nurse walked into the room. Angela watched as she checked Mira's vitals and replaced her almost empty IV bag with a new one. She smiled a sympathetic smile and said hello to Angela before leaving the room. Angela closed her eyes, slowly drifting to sleep.

*

Angela awoke with a gasp.

"Are you okay?" Noah asked her. She nodded.

"What time is it?" she asked. He looked at his watch and he saw that it said 5:33. "I need to go…" she warned him.

"What's going on? What happened in your dream?" She ignored him and started for the door. "Claire…" Noah motioned to his daughter.

"I'll be there in a minute," she said. He followed Angela out of the room. Claire stood over Mira. She pulled the syringe she had earlier out of her pocket and thrust it into her arm. She pulled a few CCs of blood and removed the needle from under her skin.

"I know, it may be a little weird, explaining what happened to the surgical staff…but I'm doing what I came here to do," she said as she thrust the needle into the IV port. The clear IV line turned red with blood. She was slowly absorbing it. Satisfied, she left, hoping to catch up with her father and grandmother.

*


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22**

"I've seen a lot of odd things in my time," Dr. Collins noted after his examination of Mira. "There is no scientific explanation as to what is going on with Ms. Ensley. Honestly, I've never seen anything like it," he said into the phone.

"What do you mean?" Angela asked into the receiver.

"Well, this morning, I went to check on her. All internal bleeding has stopped, and…well, her surgical incisions…they're almost gone. It's only been 3 days," he noted. "She's healing at an extraordinarily high rate."

"So she's fine?"

"Well, not exactly. She's still in a coma. I can't really explain it. There was no type of trauma to the brain. No swelling, no lesions, nothing. I've run every basic test I could think of, and nothing to explain why she hasn't waken yet."

"Mira's a very emotional girl," Angela answered. "Is it possible that the stress of this situation just took its toll on her?"

"Possibly. I'm going to bring in a neurologist tomorrow morning to run some more tests."

"How is Noah?"

There was a momentary pause. "Noah's still alive, which is more than many of us expected. He's a fighter, just like his mother. I don't want to speak too soon, but I have faith in this child, that he can overcome this."

Thank you for the update Marty. I'm happy you are tending to her. I wouldn't trust anyone else," she said graciously.

"You're welcome, Angela."

"By the way, has my son, Peter, been by there at all to visit?"

"Funny you should mention that, he's spent the last two days standing vigil at her bedside. Is he the father of Noah?"

"No, dear, no. They're just close friends. He took it very hard when he found out what happened," she said.

"Do we have any way of contacting the father?"

"Unfortunately he died some time ago," she lied.

"It is unfortunate. Well I've got to go check on Mira again. I'll let you know if I discover anything else," he said. Angela hung up her end and stared out her window.

She was almost startled when the front door opened.

"Peter. I thought you were at the hospital with Mira?" she asked, surprised.

"I haven't been there since she was shot," he answered.

"But…I just got off the phone with Dr. Collins. He said you've been there for the past two days."

"It wasn't me. Maybe he got me confused with someone else."

"He knows who you are. He met you. Why would he…" she stopped mid-sentence.

"I don't know, but I'll find out," he answered.

"Why haven't you been to visit her?" she asked as he headed towards the door again.

"There's nothing I can do for her," he said.

"Sometimes, having people around that care for us is all that matters. Mira may not be in love with you, but she does care for you. Things may have not gone the way you wished they would, but you can't be angry at her for following her heart."

"I'm not angry…I'm just…"

"Disappointed," she finished. "I understand. But when she wakes up, she's going to need you by her side. You're one of the few people she trusts." He frowned, frustrated because he knew she was right.

"Well, I'm going to find out who's been impersonating me," he muttered.

"Be careful," she warned as he closed the door behind him.

*

"Mr. Petrelli, back so soon?" the nurse who was checking on Mira asked. He smiled and nodded, playing along. "Changed clothes, I see," she mentioned.

"Yeah, thought I'd go home and take a shower. It seems like I've been here for days," he lied.

"Well, you kinda have," she laughed as she wrote some notes in Mira's chart. "I think it's very sweet of you to stay here with her, she's lucky to have a boyfriend as devoted as you are," she said shyly.

"We're not dating," he replied. "She's just a friend." The nurse blushed from embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I thought you said earlier…"

"It's okay. Don't worry about it," he replied. She looked him up and down and bit her lip.

"Well, if you need anything let me know…"

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Short memory huh? You just asked me an hour ago," she laughed. "It's Shelley."

"That's right, I'm sorry, I don't know where my mind is," he answered. "Thank you, Shelley," he said with a coy smile. She blushed again and left the room.

Peter sat down in the chair next to the bed and stared at Mira. He didn't know what to think, or to feel. He cared about Mira, but like his mother said…he was disappointed. He knew something bad would happen if she stayed with Sylar and he tried to warn her, but she was too stubborn to listen.

He wished he could rewind back to that day, and do things differently. If he would have just minded his business, never walked across the street to investigate Sylar's childhood home; if he had never mentioned the good side of Sylar he saw in the future; if he had refused to leave without her…he could have stopped this from happening. She came there to save him. In his mind, he was indirectly responsible of her shooting. How could he forgive himself?

He heard foot steps coming down the hallway. He listened as they got closer, and he waited for someone to appear.

"You," he said as he came face to face with himself. The imposter turned around and began to run. He ran after him. "Stop!" he screamed as he chased the man through the halls and out the door. He caught up to him and tackled him in the parking lot. The man's face began to change as he struggled to get away from Peter.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Peter growled as he grabbed him by the shirt.

"You think they'd let me visit her like this?" Sylar said as he tried to get up. Peter punched him several times. He laughed, and wiped the blood from his mouth. The cut on his lip healed instantly.

"Stay the hell away from her," Peter warned.

"What are you going to do about it?" Sylar asked with a smirk on his face.

"I'll kill you if you ever come near her again," Peter warned.

"I'd like to see you try," Sylar retorted.

"When I do, you won't be coming back this time."

"Oh, do I sense jealousy?" Peter glared at him.

"You don't have anything I want," he answered.

"That's not what I'm sensing," Sylar answered.

"What the hell do you know? Since when do you sense peoples' emotions?" He asked, suspiciously.

"It's something I picked up along the way," Sylar answered.

"Back to your old habits? Who'd you kill this time?"

"It was only one person, and they begged me to," he said.

"So that makes it alright Dr. Kavorkian?"

"Oh, sharp wits today, I'm impressed."

"Go to hell. And don't take Mira with you this time," Peter warned.

"I'd never do anything to hurt her," Sylar answered, seriously.

"Are you kidding me?" Peter asked with a laugh. "If it weren't for you, she wouldn't be here! It's your fault Mira's in there, in a coma, and it's your fault Noah's struggling for his life. You've already done enough damage!"

Sylar glared back at him. "I didn't shoot her."

"No, but who do you think they were targeting? She was shot trying to protect you."

"How did you know about that? You know who did this?" His eyes narrowed and he raised his hand towards Peter. "Tell me who shot her, and they will die."

Peter shook his head. "I'm not going to do that. The fact of the matter is that they were aiming for you. They wanted you dead, not Mira."

"She made the choice to push me out of the way. She knew I'd survive. Why don't you ask her why she did it? Maybe she wanted to die."

"If I were in her shoes, I'd rather kill myself than be around you too."

"Mira loves me, and I love her too," he responded taking a step towards Peter.

"You don't even know what love is."

"It's true, I didn't before. But I do now. Because of her."

"If you love her so much, then do her a favor. Turn around, walk away, and don't ever come back." A look of hurt crossed Sylar's face. Peter could feel the pain as he stared at Sylar.

"My son needs me."

"Your son needs a father that's not a psychopathic murderer. They're both better off without you. If you leave, he has a chance for a normal life."

"Normal? With our genes, I doubt that'll ever occur."

"He'll have a chance. But not if you stay." Sylar debated what Peter was saying. He shook his head.

"I don't think I can do that," he answered.

"You're a selfish bastard. They don't need you, you need them. Why don't you try thinking about someone else, other than yourself for a change?" The last words struck a chord, and Sylar narrowed his eyes in Peter's direction. A globe of electricity manifested in his hand. He closed his eyes, and the ball of electricity shrank down to nothing again.

He turned around and hung his head. Peter watched as he walked away.


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER 23**

"So what? You just let him go?" Noah asked as he listened to Peter's story.

"What was I supposed to do?" Peter asked into his cell phone.

"You should have let me know," He lectured the younger man.

"It was too late." Peter quieted, deep in thought.

"Are you with Mira now?"

"Yeah, I figured I'd stay here for a while, until we figure out what to do," he said as he looked around the room.

"Any change in her condition?"

"No."

"What about Noah?"

"Nothing new," he said, almost bored with the questioning.

"Well, I tried to get a hold of Matt Parkman earlier. If anyone can get into her head and figure out what's going on, he would," Bennet stated.

"It's probably not a bad idea. By the way, I think Sylar may have taken another victim," he remembered.

"Doesn't really surprise me," Noah retorted.

"He said that he 'sensed' my emotions earlier." He left out the word 'jealous'; he preferred not to get into that discussion again. "I asked him what he meant, and he said that it was something he picked up along the way."

"Could he have gotten it from Mira without killing her? Maybe that's why she won't wake up."

"No, he said he killed the person, and that they begged him to. Do you know of anyone else with her powers?"

"Just one, I'll check in on her," Noah replied with a sigh.

"Thanks. I'll try to get in touch with Matt again. I think you're right, he may be able to fix whatever's going on."

"Okay, just keep me posted," Noah answered.

"Likewise," Peter said before ending the call.

*

"Thanks for coming," Peter greeted Matt as he arrived at the hospital.

"You should have called me sooner," he responded as he leaned over Mira, brushing her hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry, it's just been kinda crazy lately," he muttered. "Do you think you'd be able to do something?"

"I can try," he said as he looked at her. He turned his head slightly to the side, and his eyes narrowed as he tried to concentrate.

*

He was suddenly standing in front of small house in some suburban development. The sun was bright, and he could feel a soft breeze. He could vaguely smell the scent of the ocean. It seemed like the perfect day.

He peered through the window of the home. Inside he could see Mira, standing in the kitchen. A small boy ran at her, and jumped into her arms. She laughed and held the boy up in the air. She lowered him back down and kissed his cheek. He began to laugh and squeal.

Sylar walking into the room. He was dressed in a gray suit, with black chunky glasses. He greeted Mira with a warm kiss, and patted the young boy's hair before kissing him on top of the head. Matt watched in awe as Sylar grabbed his jacket and left.

Matt slowly crept into the house. Noah was sitting on the floor in the living room, watching cartoons. He slowly walked into the kitchen.

"Mira?" he asked. She spun around with a gasp.

"Jesus Christ…don't do that!" she shouted. "Matt?" she looked at him suspiciously. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" he countered.

"What are you talking about? I live here."

"No, you don't." She laughed at him, disbelievingly. "This isn't real."

"Is this some sort of joke?"

"No, Mira. I'm in your mind, none of this is real."

Things began to change. She ran to the living room, Noah was gone.

"Where's my son?" she asked, beginning to panic. She ran upstairs, searching for him. She ran back down to the kitchen. "What did you do?" she screamed. Matt grabbed her firmly by the shoulders.

"Mira, this is a dream. You're in a coma. None of this really exists." The house faded away, suddenly they were both in a hospital.

"That's where your son is," he said as he pointed at a tiny baby in an incubator. She gasped and began to cry. The room spun around and suddenly they were in a different hospital room. She stared at herself lying in the bed.

"Am I dying?" she asked, weakly.

"No. You were shot, but you're completely healed from it. You've been in a coma for almost a week."

"Is Noah going to be okay?"

"I can't say. He's so small, there's so much that could go wrong. You have to wake up to find out."

"Wait, I don't know how…" she begged. Matt turned and began to walk away. "Wait!" she screamed. Matt began to fade away.

*

Matt suddenly snapped back into reality. He looked at Mira, hoping to see some sort of movement.

"Did it work?" Peter asked.

"I don't know. She was living her happiest dreams. I don't know if I can tear her away from that."

"Come on Mira, wake up," Peter whispered. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly. He closed his eyes and wished for it. Matt narrowed his eyes at her again.

_Wake up_, he mentally suggested. _Wake up, your son needs you_, he tried to force her mentally.

Peter loosened his grip on her hand. He kissed the back of her hand and cupped it in both of his. Suddenly he felt a movement. She squeezed it back. He let go of her hand and watched in amazement as she began to stir.

"That's it," Matt whispered. "Come back to us." Her eyes began to twitch, and her head rolled from side to side. She was fighting it. She didn't want to leave that world behind. It was perfect.

Slowly, she opened one eye. "Welcome back to the real world," Matt greeted her. She looked at him, and then over to Peter. Peter smiled a half-hearted smile.

"Good to see you again," he whispered. She sighed and closed her eyes.

*


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24**

"What happened?" Mira whispered as her eyes slowly dilated.

"You were shot," Matt spoke softly and directly to her. Mira began to remember what happened. She was trying to save Sylar when she was shot.

"What about Sylar? Is he okay?" she began to worry. Matt looked to Peter.

"I'm going to go find the doctor," Matt said as he exited the conversation. They both watched as he left. Peter turned back to Mira.

"He brought you in here and took off. We haven't seen him since," Peter lied.

"That can't be true," she whispered. She looked around for signs he had been there. There was nothing.

She rubbed her hand across her stomach, she could feel sutures in her skin.

"Where's my baby?" she began to worry.

"He's in the nursery, in an incubator," Peter answered as he sat down on the side of her bed.

"Good evening Ms. Ensley, I'm Dr. Collins, I've been overseeing your care," the doctor extended his hand to shake hers. She stared at him, trying to get her eyes focused. The man looked familiar.

"Have I met you before?" she asked, as he shone a light in her eyes, one by one.

"You may have seen me as you were going in and out of consciousness before surgery," he answered simply.

"Maybe," she whispered.

"Gentlemen, I'd like some privacy with Mira during her examination. Would you give us a moment?"

"Sure, I've gotta run anyway. Peter, are you ready?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, I'm right behind you," he said. He turned around to face Mira. He held her hand reassuringly, and bent down to kiss her on the cheek.

"I'll be back in a little bit," he said softly. She blushed a little. She smiled and waved as he walked out of the room.

Dr. Collins lifted her hospital gown, to inspect the surgery site. He ran his gloved hand over the incision. It was smooth and pale, like a scar that had been there for years. He got up and grabbed some hemostats and a pair of surgical scissors.

"Your incision is completely healed," he said as he stared close at the sutures. "You don't even need these," he said as he cut them and pulled them out. He watched as the holes where the stitches were closed up on their own.

Mira studied his facial expressions as he watched her heal before his very eyes. He never showed any type of surprise or shock. He just smiled to himself and nodded.

"I want my son," she demanded, feeling uneasy as she stared at his face.

"I'm sorry, I can't take him out of the nursery. He is far too small and susceptible to viral infections. He has to stay there." She glared at him coldly. She made him understand in the only way that she knew.

"Take me to him."

"We're not supposed to do this, but I understand how you feel. Wait here, I'm going to go get you a wheelchair, and we'll get you prepped to go in to him," he said as he left the room.

She sat up in bed and rolled her eyes when she saw she was hooked up to monitors and an IV. She ripped the catheter out and the monitors off. She got up and looked around the room. She saw a duffle-bag next to the chair. It was the same one in the hotel that day, with Sylar. There was a set of her own clothes inside. He had been there, at least at some point. She ran into the bathroom and changed.

"Ms. Ensley?" Dr. Collins asked as he approached the room. Her bed was empty. The bathroom door opened and she walked out full dressed. "What on earth are you doing?" he asked as he pushed the wheelchair aside.

"I'm ready to meet my son," she said as she threw her long dark hair into a sloppy ponytail. Dr. Collins ushered her out of the room and down the hall, towards the nursery.

She stood on the other side of the glass, watching her son breathe slowly.

"Noah Ensley?" she asked as she stared at the nametag on his crib. "I didn't tell anyone about that…"

"My mother had a dream that you would name him that," a voice said as someone approached her. She turned around and smiled at Peter. He stood next to her, staring at the infant.

"I had a dream too, I knew that's what I was supposed to name him," she said as she ran her fingertips over the glass. Dr. Collins was in the room with the baby. She watched him as he washed his hands.

"I don't trust him," she admitted to Peter.

"Trust who?"

"The doctor…there's something off about him," she warned. Peter shrugged.

"He's a close friend of my mother's. He's taken good care of you," he reminded her.

"I just get this feeling…I know him from somewhere. I can't place it." She trailed off, trying to remember him.

"It's okay, you're in good hands, and I'll stay here, just in case…" he said as he reached for her hand and squeezed it. "I'm here if you need me." She gazed softly at him.

"Mira, we're ready for you," the doctor said as he stuck his head out of the door. She looked back at Peter, and tried to smile.

A nurse draped her in a surgical gown, and covered her hair. She put gloves on her hands, and a mask over her nose and mouth. Mira slowly crept towards the baby. He was barely any bigger than her hand.

"Why's he look yellow?" she whispered as she studied him.

"Noah is slightly jaundiced – the least of his worries at the moment. He is 4 months premature. His lungs are still developing, and his vision and hearing may be damaged. We need him to stay here for a while," the doctor stated.

"How long is a while?" She inquired.

"It could be anywhere from six weeks, to six months." Mira closed her eyes and a tear slid down her cheek. "I assure you, we'll do what we can for Noah," he rubbed her shoulder. She reached a gloved hand into the incubator. His little fingers couldn't even wrap around the tip of her pinky.

"It's okay, little man. We're gonna get through this together," she said, hoarsly. He turned his head in her direction. She smiled and rubbed her hand against the side of his face.

"I think we should let him rest," Dr. Collins said as he glanced at the clock. He rested his hands on her shoulders. She jerked around and gave him a deathly glare.

"Don't touch me. This is the first time I get to see my son. I want a moment with him." The doctor frowned as he took two steps back. "And I want his named changed. It's Noah Gray…not Ensley. He should have his father's last name." He nodded and turned around and left the room.

"Dr. Collins, thank you for everything you've done," Peter said a he greeted the doctor with a handshake.

"It's been well worth the effort. She bounced back at lightning speed," the doctor noted. Peter glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah. She's always been a fighter," he said.

"I've got a meeting in 15 minutes," he said as he looked down at his watch. "Will you please escort Mira Ensley back to her room when she's finished with the boy? I've got to go over her discharge papers," Dr. Collins asked the nearest nurse. She nodded.

"Thanks again," Peter said as they parted ways. The doctor never looked back, but nodded. He turned back around to the window into the nursery.

*

Mira huffed as she sat down on the bed in her room.

"I don't get why I have to sit here and wait to leave when I feel fine," she argued.

"It's just hospital procedure," Peter countered. "Let's just wait for him to come back, sign the papers, and I'll take you home."

"Can we get some food first? I'm starving." Peter sat down next to her.

"Sure. I think mom would like to see you."

"Angela? Why?" she asked, suspiciously.

"She was worried about you. Everyone was. Even Nathan came to visit you." She smiled to herself. "And Noah and Claire…they've been by your side the whole time."

"You have an amazing family." She didn't know what else to say.

"It's your family too. Maybe not by blood," he reached out and slowly touched her hand. She shook as he reached for her. She was overwhelmed with his passionate feelings towards her. She could feel her face turning red.

"Well if that's my family, then you're the best brother I could ever ask for," she joked, trying to lighten the mood. She wasn't ready to have this heartfelt conversation yet, that she knew was coming. He leaned back with a sigh.

*


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER 25**

"Let's get out of here. I can't wait any longer. We can come back in a little while to see Noah and 'properly check out' of here."

"We can't just leave," Peter argued.

"It's taking forever. Let's just go," she whined. He looked at his watch.

"It's only been 10 minutes," he stated in disbelief.

"Well, you can stay, but I'm outta here," she said as she made a b-line to the door.

"Wait for me," he said as he ran to catch up with her. "Where are you going?" he asked as they exited the hospital.

"I told you, I'm hungry."

"We could have just walked down to the cafeteria," he suggested. She looked at him disapprovingly.

"I want real food. Not that hospital crap," she clarified. He shook his head and smiled.

"You're weird," he said, jokingly. She took it as a compliment.

"I know," she countered with a smile. They got into a taxi and headed down the street.

*

"So where do you want to eat?" he asked. Mira glanced out of the window. They were near Heidi's home in the city.

"I know a place that's around the corner," she suggested. The taxi stopped along the curb, they both got out and looked up at the sign for the restaurant. "Guess they closed down," she noted, staring at the unlit windows. Peter shrugged.

"I guess. Where to now?" She looked around. A few stops down was Dizzy's Blues Bar. She stared at the sign intently. "What is it?" Peter asked.

"That's where Jazz used to perform," she muttered at she slowly walked towards it.

"Jazz?"

"Jasmine Mayfield…a former friend who tried to take me out. She's the one that shot me with the tranquilizers," she mentioned. He nodded, remember her bruised shoulder and the story she told him when they first met.

"So is she here?"

"To be honest, I don't know what happened to her. I almost killed her, and Noah showed up. That's when he killed Sylar," she explained.

"Do they have food?" he asked. She nodded. "Well, lets go in," he held the door open for her. She hesitated. "You still hungry?"

"Yeah…it's just…" she trailed off. What if her former friend was there? What if she had escaped when everything was going on with Sylar? She took a step towards the building. Peter grabbed her hand, which was shaking.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded.

"I haven't been here in months," she whispered as she took a step in. The club smelled familiar. Instantly she was taken back, to the first time Jazz performed there.

Jasmine Mayfield was a waitress when the place first opened up – her passion was always music, but she had a terrible case of stage fright. Somehow, Mira got through to her that night. She calmed Jazz's nerves, and it was the first time she have ever gotten onto a stage, and she was spectacular.

Jazz had the gift of music. She could play any instrument she chose and she had a beautiful singing voice. She blew Mira away, night after night, with her haunting renditions of old jazz and blues classics.

Peter and Mira sat down at a booth. A waitress came over to get their order.

"Oh my God, Mira?" the waitress asked in disbelief.

"Hi Misty," Mira responded with a shy smile.

"It's been months, girl! Where have you been?" The waitress sat down next to Peter, practically pushing him out of the way.

"I started a new job, and haven't been around much," Mira lied.

"Jazz will be so excited to see you," she said as she stood up.

"She's here?" Mira asked seriously. Misty nodded. "Do me a favor, don't tell her I'm here," she whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Misty asked. "She'll go crazy," she said excitedly.

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of," she said. Misty looked at her, confused. "We kinda had a little falling out," she whispered.

"Oooh, I get it," Misty said. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," she said with a wink.

"Thanks Misty," she said as she sipped on a glass of water.

"I'll put your orders in, and I'll be right back," she said as she left the table.

"I think we should leave," Mira said, when she was once again alone with Peter.

"But she just put our orders in," he argued.

"Misty never could keep a secret, she's probably back there with Jazz right now," she explained.

"So?"

"So?! So I almost killed Jazz. She tried to sell me to a guy who wanted my powers," she said in disbelief. "I'm not ready to deal with her again."

"Why don't we just wait for our food. If she comes out to say something, we'll leave," he offered. She looked around nervously.

"I just don't have a good feeling about this," she mumbled as she fell back into memories of her past. She remembered the last time she was there.

*

The club was busy that night. Mira sat at the bar, sipping on a mixed drink. She studied her friend, Jazz, as she was up on stage, belting out an original song. She closed her eyes and swayed to the music.

"She's a talented musician," a man next to her commented. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"Yeah, she's amazing," she said as she glanced back over to Jazz, who was staring back at her. The man moved a little closer, and started to chat with Mira. They were having a great time when the music ended. The lights came up, and Jazz had finished her set.

Jazz watched her friend, jealously, from the side of the stage. Every time Mira was there, men would flock to her, asking her questions, buying her drinks. She never understood why her friend got all the attention, when she was up there, singing her heart out. She should have been the one getting all the praise.

She frowned as she went into the backroom to change clothes. She reappeared a few moments later. Instead of sitting with Mira, she took a seat at the other end of the bar.

"That was a great set," an older man said as he approached her. She smiled as she stared into her glass of liquor.

"Thanks," she answered half-heartedly.

"Your name's Jazz, right?" he asked. She nodded. "I thought you were great," he said.

"Yeah, well I wish everyone else noticed," she said as she looked over to Mira and the flock of men around her.

"Jealous of her popularity with the men?" the man asked. She whipped around and looked at him. He was a tall, thin man. He smiled at her.

"I'm not jealous of her," she argued.

"It's okay if you are. If someone had a secret way of attracting the opposite sex, I'd be jealous too." She looked at him, intrigued.

"A secret way? It's called being a slut," she said bitterly.

"No, it's called empathy. Making people feel how you want them to. She can do that you know." She glanced over at Mira, who was flirting with a tall, attractive man. "It's her gift, kind of like your gift with music," he said. "I could teach you how she does it," he spoke softly, with a low growl to his voice.

"Why would you do that?" she asked, perplexed.

"I want to help you, you want what she has, and so do I," he said, casually. She stared at Mira, contemplating what he said.

"So what's in it for me?"

"You mean besides attracting any man you want?" he looked at her surprised. "I guess I can sweeten the offer a bit," he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash.

"If you bring her to me, there'll be more where this came from," he offered. She took the money and got off of her stool.

"I'll consider it," she said, giving him a suspicious look. "So if I do this, how do I contact you?"

"Here's my number," he wrote it on the back of a napkin. "My name is Martin…Martin Collins." She took the napkin as turned to walk away. She stared at it for a moment before stuffing it into her pocket.

She glanced back at Mira, with a hurt expression on her face. Mira could feel her, and looked up. She saw the man walking away from Jazz. Did he do something to hurt her? She wondered as she made her way over to her friend.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she approached Jazz. Jazz nodded.

"I'm fine, just tired. I think I'm going to go home," she said as she walked away. Mira watched her leave, and decided it was time for her to leave too.

*

Mira snapped out of her daydream. She stared at Peter with a look of shock on her face.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I remember," she whispered. "I remember the last time I was here. Jazz was talking to a guy. He creeped me out a little, but I never met him." She tried to picture the man's face as he walked away.

"It was Dr. Collins," she muttered.

"Wait, so you think your doctor had something to do with this?" Peter asked. She nodded.

"I have to get back to the hospital, I have to check on Noah," she said, suddenly feeling like her son could be in danger. She stood up to leave.

"Wait, don't you want to think this through before you start accusing people of things they may or may not have done?" he tried to reason with her.

"I just want to get back there, and make sure Noah's okay," she said. She grabbed his hand and closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Before he knew it, they had disappeared out of the bar, and were suddenly back in front of the hospital.


	26. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER 26**

"That was fast," Peter stated. She walked briskly towards the hospital door. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"You can't just go storming in there, accusing a doctor of hiring a hitman to kill you! They'll think you're nuts," he warned her. She pulled her arm out of his grasp.

"So?" said as she stepped towards him, defiantly.

"He'll just call security, give you a sedative, and lock you up in a padded cell. No one will believe you. You have to think this through."

"So what am I supposed to do? Just stand out here, and leave him alone with my child? I don't trust him," she yelled.

"What we do, is we go in there. We go see Noah, make sure he's okay, and then go back to your room, sign your release forms and figure out a plan. If you let him in on the fact that you know, he may disappear."

She was quiet for a moment. She knew he was right, but she was too proud to admit it.

"I mean, look at where being impulsive has gotten you. You have to slow down and think about it. We need proof he's who you think he is."

"Okay, you're right," she admitted defeat with a sigh. "I'm going to check on little Noah," she said as she headed towards the doors. Peter followed her slowly, watching her as she went inside. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed.

"Noah, it's Peter, Mira's awake, but we have a serious problem. Call me when you get this," Peter ended his message and hung up. He began to dial Angela's number.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Mom, it's Peter. Mira woke up," he stated.

"That's wonderful," she said. "How's baby Noah?"

"Fine, but something else has come up. Do you think you could meet me at the hospital?"

"Why? What's going on?" she asked cautiously.

"It's just, Mira wanted to see you, and I was hoping you could fill us in on something."

"What do you want to know?"

"I'll explain when you get here."

"Okay, fine. I'm on my way." She hung up without another word. Peter ended the call and stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

*

"How's he doing?" Peter asked as he came up behind Mira. She was standing in front of the window to the nursery.

"He's fine," she muttered. "No signs of Dr. Creepy anywhere." He rolled his eyes at her name-calling.

"My mom's coming to meet us, we have to go back to your room," he said.

"Why's she coming here?"

"She said she was old friends with 'Marty' once. I want to know how she knew him," he answered. She nodded in agreement. They began walking back to the room.

"Ah, Miss Ensley, I was just coming back to go over your discharge papers." Mira looked at the clock on the wall.

"That was a long meeting," she snapped.

"Sorry for the delay. It took longer than I expected," he said. He fumbled with his paperwork as he entered her hospital room.

"You need to sign these, and then you're free to go," he stated with a smile. She glared at him as she snatched the papers to sign them. She threw them back at him when she finished. "I'll have a nurse come in, go over discharge instructions, and you can go."

"We're waiting for my mother. She should be here soon," Peter jumped in.

"Ah, I see. Well just let the nurses know when you're ready to leave," he said as he left the room. Mira snarled at his as he left.

"Would you calm down?" Peter whispered. She pursed her lips.

"I am calm," she lied as she sat down on the bed. Within moments, Angela walked through the door.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise," Angela said as she noticed Mira was up and dressed, ready to go. "I've been so worried about you," she said as she walked towards Mira for a hug. Mira stood up and greeted her.

"Thank you Miss Angela," she said shyly. Angela looked at her son.

"So what did you want to ask me, Peter?" He looked at her and walked past her to shut the door.

"I need to know how you met Dr. Collins."

"Marty and I are old friends," she stated directly. He looked her in the eye as she spoke.

"You said that. How do you know him? How did you meet?" he pushed.

Angela let out a sigh. "He worked for Primatech. He was a Genetic Mutation Specialist. He was one of the scientists that worked on the formula."

"So he knows about people with powers?" Mira asked, glaring at Peter. She wanted him to know she wasn't crazy.

"Yes, why?"

"Because I think he hired Jasmine Mayfield to attack me." Angela looked at her, worried.

"You think Dr. Collins was responsible for that?"

"I had a flashback. I remember him in the club, talking to Jazz a couple weeks before I was attacked."

"Just because you saw him in a club doesn't mean he paid someone to kidnap you," Angela tried to justify. "Don't you have any proof?" Mira gritted her teeth. It was just what Peter warned her about.

"Not yet. I just…I know. Deep down in my gut, I know it was him," she whispered, starting to doubt herself.

"Marty is a good man. I can't see him doing something like this. I'll do some research into his past anyway, though. Just so we can put this behind us," Angela stated as she left the room.

Peter looked at Mira.

"Don't even say anything," she warned. He smiled.

"I wasn't going to. I'm not the 'told ya so' type," he reminded her as they left the hospital.

*

Mira and Peter walked down the street, arm in arm. They enjoyed the crisp spring weather as they strolled towards her apartment building. They eventually arrived on her front step. Peter looked up at the building, and back down to her again.

"Are you sure you want to stay here by yourself? Why don't you come back to my place," he offered. "You could stay with me as long as you want." She looked at him with doubt in her eyes and bit her lip.

"I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I'm beyond flattered. I've never had someone really care about me before," she indulged. "But, I have to be honest with you," she stopped to collect her thoughts.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

"I'm an independent person. I'm not used to people wanting to look after me. Honestly? I'm starting to feel suffocated," she said. He took a step back from her, his face shifted into a look of disappointment. She could feel his embarrassment and his frustration.

She reached out to touch his face, and he pulled away. She closed her eyes and sighed. She took a step forward and brushed his hair out of his eyes. She stared deep into his eyes as a small smile formed on her lips.

"You're the best person I've ever met. I hold you in such high regards, it's ridiculous," she said with a small laugh. She leaned forward and gently pressed her lips against his. He pulled her close, and kissed her deeply. She slowly pulled away and licked her lips.

"I love you," he whispered. A tear slid down her cheek.

"I know. I love you to death," she took a deep breath. "But we both know I'm in love with someone else," she stated. She could feel his anger and resentment coming to the surface.

"You know he's not coming back," Peter warned her.

"Why do you say that?" she asked with curiosity.

"Because I told him not to. He pretended he was me to come see you in the hospital. I told him you were better off without him. He doesn't need to cause you any more pain." He never saw it coming when she smacked him across the face.

"That wasn't your decision to make. Damn it! It was none of your business."

"It's his fault that you've gone through everything you did. I just wanted to keep you safe," he argued.

"For the thousandth time! I don't need a babysitter! You know what? I can't. I just can't do this anymore. You had no right. Please, just go," she warned as she stepped inside.

"Mira, I'm sorry," he stated.

"I am too," she whispered as the door closed behind her.

*


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER 27**

Mira stood in her hallway, staring at the door to the baby's nursery. She rubbed her hand over her stomach as she turned to go back to the living room. She sat down on her couch and picked up a pad of paper and pen laying on the coffee table. She began to scribble a checklist of things to do in the next 24 hours.

_Google Dr. Martin Collins_

_Talk to Jazz_

_Check on Noah/plant camera_

_Find Sylar_

She sipped on a cup of hot tea with chamomile and honey. She closed her eyes and inhaled its aroma before taking a sip. She knew she needed to keep her head clear if she was going to get through this, but she was an emotional wreck.

"What do I already know about Dr. Collins?" she asked aloud. She began to scribble another list.

_Saw him w/Jazz at the club_

_Worked for the Company_

_Was a Genetic Mutation Specialist_

_Worked on the formula_

_Work w/company means interested in powers? Why?_

_If he knows me through Angela, why wasn't he after Pete, Nathan, or Claire?_

_Could he have known my mom or dad?_

_How did he go from working for the Co. to working emergency surgery?_

_Does he have a power?_

Mira flipped open her laptop, laying on the coffee table. She googled the name Dr. Martin Collins. Bar, Photographer, Director of Fisheries, Immigration Law Firm…and nothing on a real doctor named Martin Collins. She clicked through several pages before pop-up window covered her search page.

"You won't find anything on Dr. Collins through a typical search engine…" she read aloud. A space flashed for her to reply.

How do you know Dr. Collins?

"Dr. Martin James Collins, 51. Known powers: None as of this time. It is believed he gave himself an unknown ability with a test serum, but it was absorbed by Arthur Petrelli. Some potentially toxic materials disappeared when Dr. Collins was dismissed from Primatech following a series of complaints. He has since gone on to study general surgery in Bethesda, Maryland and is now a surgeon in New York City and has been lying low ever since."

Mira contemplated what she had just read. She stared at the paper in front of her and closed the laptop. She picked up her cellphone and called Noah Bennet.

"Yeah…" he answered in a hurry.

"I've got a problem, and I need your help," Mira confessed.

"Mira? I'm glad to hear you're okay. We were all worried about you."

"Thanks. But, I think I've got bigger problems. I think Dr. Collins is the one that hired Jazz to come after me."

"I know, Angela told me," he admitted.

"She thinks I'm crazy, but I'm not. I just got a message from someone online, saying Dr. Collins was fired from Primatech and some drugs got stolen when he left. He met Jazz in the club. He sent her after me, and I need to know why," she said in one sweeping breath. She let out a heavy sigh before pausing for a moment. "You probably think I'm crazy, too."

"No, I trust your instincts. I want to follow this through. I just don't have time right now to talk about it. Why don't you meet me at the hospital at 8am?" Bennet asked her.

"I can do that. Thanks, Bennet…I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Don't mention it," he said before hanging up. Mira suddenly felt sleepy. She got up; made sure the door was locked, turned out the lights and headed to her bedroom. She slowly crawled into the bed, feeling like she had just climbed a mountain. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out.

*

Mira awoke suddenly. It was still dark. She looked at her alarm clock – 2:15am. She tried to fall back asleep, but something woke her up. She heard a strange noise, and she realized it sounded like her front door. Someone was giggling the handle.

She slowly crept down the hall. The closer she got to the door, the quieter things seemed to get. Was her imagination acting up again? She peered out of the peephole – nothing outside. She turned to go back to bed.

Something caught her eye in the nursery. She crept quietly towards the open doorway. Someone was in there. She gulped, trying to maintain her nerves as she flipped on the bedroom light. Sylar sat in the glider, his feet propped up on the ottoman.

"Flipping Christ! Why do you have to do shit like that to me?" she asked, wiping her hand across her brow in relief. His distant eyes finally focused on her, and he stood up.

"Are you okay?" he asked, approaching her.

"I never thought I'd see you again," she admitted as she collapsed into his embrace. She buried her face in his shoulder. "Peter said he convinced you that I'm better off without you…" she began, trying to get him to open up to her.

"Yeah, well Peter's a douche," he remarked snidely.

"He was wrong anyway. I can't do this without you," she admitted. He rested his hands on her shoulders, and gently pushed her away, so he could see her face. "I was wrong, I want you to stay with me. I want you here when Noah comes home. I do want us to be a family, and I ---" she was cut off as he placed one finger across her lips.

He stared intently into her eyes. There were so many things he wanted to express to her, but he shook them away. Instead, he leaned in for a kiss. Mira waited impatiently for his lips to reach hers. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him in close.

Mira closed her eyes, as her world seemed to spin. She was euphoric. She opened her eyes, and could see a smiled forming on his lips as well. She pulled away, and closed her eyes and smiled shyly.

"I want to stay like this forever," Sylar said as he pulled her close again. She pulled away.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to kill this moment, but we need to talk," she said softly. He sighed and stepped back. She took his hand, and pulled him behind her into her bedroom.

She ran and jumped on the bed, like a child. He couldn't help but crack a smile. He walked around the bed and sat down next to her. Sylar leaned back against the headboard and lifted his feet onto the bed. She curled up on her side next to him, resting her head against his arm.

"I found the man who tried to kill me," she began her story. She proceeded to tell him about Dr. Collins, Jazz Mayfield, and his time with the Company. He listened quietly, taking in all the information that he could before trying to come up with a plan.

"We need to get more dirt on him," he agreed with her. "I can go to his home tomorrow, figure out more about him," he offered. She looked up at him.

"Thanks. I told Bennet I'd meet him at the hospital tomorrow morning. While we're there, you can scope out his place," she suggested.

Sylar scowled. Why did she have to go to Bennet? Why couldn't they just figure it out on their own? They could get Noah, and disappear. They could start a new life somewhere else. He looked over at Mira. She was staring at him, confused.

"So why didn't you ever come to visit me while I was in the hospital?"

"Who says I didn't?"

"Peter was with me the entire time, and he said you never once showed up." Sylar laughed.

"Oh that Peter. It's funny how he loves to tell you these silly little stories. Actually, I was with you. Other people may have thought I was Peter, but it was me. And he knows it too. He lied, just to hurt you," he tried to turn her against Peter.

She frowned at this news. Why did Peter have to lie? "I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I'm sorry I listened to him. I'm sorry I hurt you and pushed you away," she trailed off, her eyes were getting heavy.

Sylar scowled. Why did she have to go to Bennet? Why couldn't they just figure it out on their own? They could get Noah, and disappear. They could start a new life somewhere else. He yawned as he looked over at Mira. She was out cold.

*


	28. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER 28**

Mira wasn't surprised that Sylar was gone in the morning. She had come to the conclusion that he just didn't sleep. She never really thought about it before, but that must be why he never could make it through a night.

She crossed the busy road, heading towards the hospital. She saw Noah Bennet just a ways a head of her, walking towards the doors.

"Bennet!" she shouted. He turned and looked directly towards her. He waved as she quickened her pace to join him.

"You look great," he said as she approached him. She hugged him.

"Thanks. I'm glad you could join me," she said. "There's so much I have to do. I just…" Noah shushed her, she was rambling again.

"It's okay, let's just go check on Noah, and then we'll go talk to Jazz, okay?" he offered. She nodded in compromise.

They entered the Labor and Delivery wing of the hospital, and headed towards the nursery. A nurse was in with baby Noah, checking his vitals. He was a strong baby. Every day he'd make a little more progress. Mira smiled in relief as she saw him wrap his tiny hand around the nurse's finger.

Noah put his arm around Mira and ushered her away. As they left, they could hear voices in one of the offices. They slowed down to listen.

"I think you've spent enough time with the boy, Dr. Collins. Just to remind you, I am leading Pediatric Surgeon on this case. You need to let me do my job," a woman lectured. They caught a glimpse of her and also caught Dr. Collins' eye.

"Mira! Ms. Ensley, it's nice to see you, we were just discussing your son, Noah's case." He looked at Dr. Carrington for reassurance. She smiled at Mira and Noah and came around the side of her desk to greet them.

"I'm Dr. Lucy Carrington. I've been caring for Noah."

"Is everything alright? Didn't sound very friendly as we approached," Mr. Bennet stated, looking back and forth between the two doctors.

"I guess I was just watching over her shoulder too carefully with Noah." He looked at her, and she was silent. "I was just convinced something would go wrong with the poor child that I just was hovering a bit too much."

Mira glared at him, she could sense he was lying. Noah stared at Dr. Carrington who was staring through her desk.

"Well, we were just leaving," Noah said.

"Thank you for stopping by," Dr. Carrington said, jumping back into the conversation. "Here's my private line if you have any questions for me," she said, handing a business card to Mira. She took it out of the doctor's hand and put it in the back pocket of her jeans.

"Thanks," Mira muttered, looking to Bennet for direction.

"Nice meeting you," Noah said to Dr. Carrington as they left the room. Mira headed down the hallway as Noah closed the door behind him.

"He's getting way too into my kid," Mira said, quickly flying down the hall. Bennet sped forward to catch up with her.

"I think we have a friend in Dr. Carrington. I think we should talk to her privately. She could tell us more," he said, pulling her arm and trying to slow her down. She halted quickly and turned to face him.

"I don't care what you do, but I need to find Jazz now, and just ask her flat out if it was him. I can't do anything else until I know for sure," she spat out. Noah nodded, thinking about it.

"You're right. Let's go see Jazz," he agreed.

She grabbed his hand and closed her eyes. Within moments they appeared in an alleyway. They both checked the ends of the alley, making sure no one saw. They headed around towards the back door. It was jimmy rigged to stay open for the smokers that worked there. They crept in silently and she led him to a dressing room. The door was shut and locked. Mira tapped on it softly.

"Who is it?!" someone yelled from inside. Mira cleared her throat.

"Catering!" Noah shouted in a Spanish accent. They could hear the knob pop as she unlocked the door and walked back towards the lit mirror. She gasped when she saw their reflections. She spun around quickly and lunged for her purse. Mira grabbed her telekinetically and stopped her in her tracks. She turned her to face them. Mira's smile reflected the one on Bennet's face as Jazz stared at them in horror.

"Oh honey calm down, if I wanted you dead, you'd already be by now," Mira taunted her.

"Jasmine, we just wanted to ask you a couple questions, then we'll go," Noah tried to smooth things over with Jazz. She nodded, just wanting to get this over with.

"The man that sent you after me…what did he look like?"

"He was tall and thin. Older. Maybe 50's-ish."

"What was his name?" Noah intervened. There was silence on Jazz's end.

"You know his name, Jazz. I do, too. I saw you two at the bar the night you met him. I remember him. Marty? Do you remember what he said to you that night?"

Jazz was frozen in fear. She couldn't believe Mira knew that.

"What did he say to you, Jazz?" Noah asked calmly. She looked at him.

"He told me to call him if I felt like making some money, so I did. He told me what I had to do and I tried."

"Failed miserably, huh?" Mira reminded her. Jazz glared at her.

"He still got what he wanted from you," Jazz reminded her. Mira gritted her teeth at the snotty comment. "Hell, he's probably already adding the blood he got from you during surgery to the serum, and testing it on himself. By the time you get there, he'd already have his power back."

"Your serum?" Mira asked, perplexed.

"He said if I got you, he'd share it with me. So I could do what you did," Jazz said as she looked away.

"Marty's not who you think he is. He's not going to help some worthless singer in a bar. He's out for himself, and he would have just taken your powers and killed you too," Mira stated bluntly.

"No! That's not true," Jazz defended.

"What'd he say this serum does?" Noah asked, redirecting her.

"He said he used to be powerful. His magic was taken away by some old guy that stole his powers, and this would get them back."

"Why did he need my blood?" Mira chimed in.

"He said he'd get his power back if he mixed the serum with the other peoples blood that had the skills that made up his original power."

"Which was? What skills did he need?"

"I don't know," she whispered.

"Don't lie to me!" Mira raised her tone with warning.

"I don't! All he told me was that he needed your blood. He wouldn't hurt you, he just needed your power."

"We've got to go find him," Noah stated as Mira stared at Jazz. She could feel Jazz's hatred towards her. She started to become enraged herself. He opened the door and stopped when she didn't follow. "Mira, we don't have time-"

"You go, I'll catch up with you," she said as she stared at Jazz. She slammed the door shut telekinetically and locked him out. He wanted to pound on the door, but didn't want anyone to hear him. He began trying to pick the lock.

Mira stood over Jazz quietly.

"What are you doing?" Jazz asked her.

"What power do you have?" she asked. Jazz ignored her. "We've discussed this before. I know you have an ability, just tell me what it is," she hissed the last few words.

"You've known what my gift was since you met me," she said.

"I'm not in the mood for games," Mira warned her. Jazz refused to speak. Mira lifted her hand and pointed towards her head. "Fine, if you won't tell me, I'll find out myself," she shook as her hand moved slowly, parallel to Jazz's forehead. She began to whimper in pain. Mira opened her hand and walked towards Jazz. She placed her palm on her forehead. She felt a swirl of energy go through her. It pulled her in, she couldn't really tell how it worked, but she could feel how it felt. She sighed and was suddenly pulled away.

Noah had reentered the room. He broke her concentration, and Jazz fell to the floor unconscious. Mira realized what she had just done and dropped to her knees. Noah ran over to inspect Jazz.

"What did I do?" she whispered. Noah was silent, he could hear people coming down the corridor. He ran over to Mira.

"You have to get us out of here, now. Take us back to your apartment," he tried to get her to focus. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Mira, we have to go, she's dead, and we need to leave. Someone's coming," he said as he held her face in his hands. He stared at her like a disappointed father. She never knew how bad that could feel.

Mira took a deep breath, took Bennet's hand, and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. She was still weak from absorbing Jazz's powers. Within seconds they were gone. When she opened her eyes, Mira was back in her apartment, with Bennet next to her. She excused herself and ran into her bathroom. She thought about what she had just done. She had just killed someone for their power.

*


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER 29**

Mira wiped her mouth and leaned back against the tub in her bathroom. Just thinking about what happened made her sick. She couldn't stomach the guilt of killing someone. She finally understood how Sylar felt, but at the same time, she didn't know how he could do it

Well, maybe anyone else could just shut off their emotions, but not her. Even though she could control them now, she couldn't shut them off completely. Noah tapped on the bathroom door.

"Mira, are you okay?" he asked softly. She swung the door open.

"Do I look like I'm okay?" she asked, with rings of mascara under her eyes. She wiped at them with the sides of her hands.

"It's hard, when something like that happens," Noah said. He knew what he wanted to say, but was afraid it would upset her. "Mira, I…" he stopped when he thought he heard something in the front room. He turned around with his gun in hand, motioning for Mira to stay back.

"Mira?" a voice asked from the living room. Noah rounded the corner. Mira grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Don't do it," she said to Noah as she whisked the gun away with her telekinesis.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked, feeling cornered. Sylar smiled.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not here to kill anyone," Sylar teased. Noah stared at him defiantly.

"Why is he here?" Noah asked Mira.

"He's helping me."

"I thought that's why you called me?"

"I needed all the help I could get," she replied to Noah. "He offered and I couldn't turn him down. Remember, it's not about us. It's about baby Noah…and my life." She turned to Sylar. "So what did you find out?" Sylar tossed a stack of files onto the table.

"He had a shrine up on his wall devoted to the people he killed. He even has a some of you," Sylar said, flipping through his cell phone.

He brought up a picture of the mural and showed Mira the black and white photos of herself tacked onto the wall. She shook her head in disgust. There were dozens of pictures and notes about his other victims, like he had been tracking them for years.

"Obviously a whacko," Sylar stated. Noah and Mira both looked up at him, and the irony of his statement.

"How many files do we have here?" Noah asked, trying to at least make some sense of the situation. He flipped through each one rapidly. Each file had pictures, statistics, and information on powers. He noticed the first page in each chart had a red stamped X over their close-up photo.

"How many of these files are crossed out?" Noah asked, becoming slightly frantic.

"I didn't count," Sylar responded dryly. Noah got to the last chart and stopped reading. He flung the chart back on the table.

"Only 8 marked out. Besides Mira, he has one more person to go. We need to find him, and stop him," Noah said as he pulled out his cell phone. Sylar telekinetically flipped the phone closed again. Noah looked at him, impatiently.

"I've already taken care of him," Sylar said.

"What do you mean?" Noah narrowed his eyes at him and took a step forward.

"I took care of it," Sylar growled.

"So you killed him? Great. There was more information we could have got out of him!" Noah began to raise his voice.

"I don't care about information!" Sylar yelled in defense. "Martin Collins already killed eight people. Read the list of powers he needed samples of. If I hadn't killed him, he would have become strong enough to exact revenge on anyone whoever wronged him."

"You're a hypocrite," Noah accused. He narrowed his eyes at Sylar. "You don't care about what he was going to do. You just want to be special. You want to get people out of the way that threaten your power."

"No, that was just an added bonus," Sylar replied with a smug smile. Bennet gritted his teeth.

"Did you tell Mira about your latest power?" Noah questioned him. Sylar was taken back.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sylar growled.

"You told Peter it was something 'you picked up along the way'. Somehow, you became emotionally empathic, like Mira," Noah informed them.

"Sylar, what's he talking about?" Mira asked, becoming concerned.

"There have been a few deaths you haven't known about," Noah admitted to her.

"Deaths? What?" She tried to comprehend what he was saying. "Who did you kill?" she directed her focus on Sylar.

"Dr. Collins," he answered.

"Don't-" she warned him. "Don't play games with me. What did you do?" she demanded. Sylar was silent. "God damn it, tell me!" she screamed.

"Mira, do you know anyone else with the power of emotional empathy?" Noah asked, trying to re-jog her memory. Her mind suddenly clicked and her jaw dropped.

"You don't mean…" she trailed off, waiting for someone to acknowledge her fears. Noah nodded.

"I went to check on your mother a few days ago. Her doctor couldn't find any signs of foul play, but he thought it was suspicious," Noah answered. She stared at Sylar, who was staring right back at her.

"No, no…you wouldn't…" she whispered in disbelief. "You wouldn't kill my mother," she muttered. Sylar stepped towards her, reaching for her shoulders.

"She begged me to," he answered softly. "She said she couldn't live with it anymore. I felt sorry for her."

Mira shoved him away from her and Noah darted between the two. Mira began to cry as she hid behind Bennet. Sylar was overwhelmed with guilt. Her grief was too much for him, and he fell to his knees.

"Why were you there?" Noah asked him. "What did you want from Glenda in the first place?" Sylar looked up at Mira who was staring at him and covered his face again.

"I just wanted to understand you," his speech was directed at Mira. "I wanted to know your history, to understand you."

"You could have just asked me," she defended, walking around Noah to confront Sylar. "And now, because of you, she'll never get to meet her grandson. You took the one thing away that could have possibly made her happy. He could have brought her back to sanity…at least for a while," she fantasized.

"Your mother was strapped to a bed, in an induced coma. What did she have left to live for?"

Sylar and Mira continued to argue. Bennet's cell phone rang and he lifted it to his ear. He stepped aside to listen quietly, nodded, thanked the person on the other end and hung up.

"Mira," he pulled her aside. "Jazz is still alive. She's telling people that you tried to kill her. The cops will be coming here soon."

A shiver ran down Mira's spine. She was thankful that she hadn't killed her, but she never thought about the repercussions of what would happen if she didn't. She looked over at Sylar, who was curious to their conversation.

"You tried to kill someone?" he was intrigued.

"Jazz…" she whispered.

"The chick from the watch shop? I thought you were over that?" Sylar asked, sarcastically. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I didn't mean to. I couldn't help it. I had to know what she was hiding," she murmured, almost in a trance as she relived the moment.

"You wanted her power…" Sylar concluded remorsefully. He looked at her with pity.

"But I didn't kill her after all," she defended herself.

"Did you get her power?" he asked.

"I don't know." Sylar looked at her in disbelief. "She wouldn't tell me what she could do. I haven't tried anything yet." They were all quiet as they thought about the possibilities.

"What she could do doesn't matter now. Mira, we need to leave," Noah said, looking at the call time on his phone. She walked towards her bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Sylar asked as he followed her into the bedroom. He picked up the dingy, worn out teddy bear laying on her dresser. He had a flash of when she had found it in her old, dilapidated house the day they were attacked by Nathan and his men. He could see back farther, Mira was a young child, hiding under her bed. A man's hand reaches under the bed and grabs her. She screams and the bunny is left behind as she's dragged out.

"Wait, what?" Sylar asked, suddenly snapping back into reality.

"I said I don't know! But Noah's right, I have to get out of here," she restated as she stuffed clothes into a duffel bag, and ran around the room, emptying her drawers and dumping jewelry out of her jewelry box. The gold dandelion Sylar gave her fell onto the bed and he picked it up.

"I know somewhere we can go," he said as he twirled the little weed between his fingers. He was taken back to the day he gave it to her. The awe in her eyes as he turned it to gold. He could feel his eyes well up with tears, feeling what she had felt. It began to emotionally drain him. He dropped it back on the bed and sat down.

Mira looked up at him, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she stood up straight.

"You killed my mother…I'm not ready to forgive you for that. I don't know if I'll ever be." She could feel his rejection and remorse.

"I promise you," he said as he stood up and walked over to her. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly with both of his. "I will never kill again. I want to be a good father. I want my son to have what I didn't."

"I can't believe you," she said, starting to show signs of a breakdown. "I can't get my hopes up. Because you may not…for a while, but it'll happen again. I know what it feels like now," she whispered as hot tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

Sylar was quiet as he contemplated what she said. She tried to kill someone because of the bit of his power she absorbed. What if his power corrupted her? She wasn't ready to handle them. It would only get worse the longer they were together.

"Cops are here, come on, get us out of here, Mira!" Noah warned her. She threw a few more things into her bag and joined Noah in the living room. Sylar followed suit.

"Okay, let's get out of here," she said as she threw the bag over her shoulder. She grabbed Noah's hand and looked at Sylar. "You coming?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No, I'll find a way out, I'm sure," he refused. She sighed and cocked her head at him.

"Well, I guess I'll see you when I see you," she said with an empty smile. He stared at her, she could feel his heart breaking. With a blink of her eye, they were gone.

Sylar looked around the home for personal mementos. A sonogram picture was on the refrigerator. He moved the magnet out of the way and picked it up. He could see her excitement as she watched the baby move on the monitor. He could see the day clearly, and what she had gone through. He stuffed the picture in the breast pocket of his jacket and left the apartment. He morphed into Mira's neighbor once more and disappeared into the elevator just as police passed him, walking quickly towards Mira's apartment.

He smiled as he slipped away quietly and undetected.

*


	30. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER 30**

Mira let go of Noah's hand once they appeared in a dark alley.

"Where are we?" He asked, looking around.

"We're at your stop," Mira said as she took a step towards Bennet.

"What? Where are you going?"

"I can't stay here. I feel like the rope in 'Tug of War' and I just…I can't do this anymore. I have to think about my son…and you need to focus on your own family."

"Noah's not going to be ready to leave the hospital for at least a few more weeks. Are you just going to leave him?" She thought about it for a minute.

"That gives me time to get settled somewhere and come back for him," she decided. "I can't even touch my son, why stay here, on the run, while I could be building a safe, secure life somewhere for the both of us?"

"It'll never be safe, if Sylar's there," he reminded her. She rolled her eyes.

"I know, I know. That's why he's not invited either," she said as her lips started to give way to a frown.

"I'm sorry you feel you have to leave. You don't have to, you know. We could find a way to fix things," he offered. She shook her head.

"I'm suffocating here, with all these emotional demands from everyone around me. I just want to go somewhere nice and quiet, so I don't go crazy like my mother," she said.

"You won't…you're stronger than her. You know what you're doing now. I believe in you," Noah said as she threw her arms around him. He hugged her back.

"I'll miss you," she whispered.

"Promise me you'll contact me when you're ready to?" She nodded in agreement. "Take care of yourself, Mira."

"Take care of your own self, Bennet," she said with a wink as she grabbed her bag and backed away from him before disappearing into thin air.

He stared at where she had been, with a smile. He slowly turned around and headed down the street.

*

Mira was suddenly in front of the hospital doors. She walked through them briskly as a little boy stared at her. He had just watched her appear out of thin air. She shot him a smile as she walked by.

She wandered through Labor and Delivery, making her way to the Nursery. It was straight ahead of her when she began to slow down. She saw a man with dark hair standing at the window, staring inside. She crept behind him quietly, not wanting to disturb him. She stood next to him, at the window and spoke without looking at him.

"I didn't think I'd see you here," she said softly.

"I was just leaving," he said as he turned around to leave.

"Peter, wait!" she said as she followed him down the hall. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything I've put you through. You have been genuine, honest, and loyal to me since the very first time we met. You're one of the few people I will ever fully trust with my life, or my child's," she said, gesturing to baby Noah. He looked at the baby.

"I want you to be his Godfather. I want you to take care of him if anything ever happens to me," she said.

"Why are you telling me all this?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Because I'm leaving. I want you to watch over Noah while I'm gone. He'll be released in 3-4 weeks, and I'll be back for him then, but after that, we'll be gone for good."

"Why are you leaving?"

"Because I have to. I can't stay here." He took her words at face value, and didn't try to argue with her.

"Is Sylar going with you?"

"No, I don't plan on telling him where I'm going either."

"I guess that makes me feel a little better," he mentioned. She grabbed his hand, and held it tightly as they both stared at Noah.

"If anything happens to him…I'll be back sooner."

"How will you know if no one knows where you are?"

"I'll know," she replied simply. He was silent. "Thank you, for everything you've done. I'll miss you," she said as she stepped back and closed her eyes. A tear slid out of the corner as she glanced over at her son.

"Wait-" Peter said. She was suddenly gone.

*

Mira appeared in front of her old home. She stared at the dilapidated shack in front of her. If she had anything to run away from, this was it. If she had stayed in New York, she would always be haunted by her past.

Memories flashed in front of her eyes. There weren't many good times, but she could remember the few there were. When the bad memories tried to surface, she smiled, and remembered it was all over. She was pulled out of her thoughts as a hand rested on her shoulder. She spun around, startled. She was relieved to see it was Sylar.

"How'd you know I'd come here?"

"A person needs to reconcile with their past, before heading into their future," he said like a wise old sage. She smiled.

"How'd you get so wise?" she asked with admiration.

"I've been through it," he said.

"I'm leaving," she blurted out suddenly. It wasn't how she planned on telling him, but it was better sooner than never.

"I know," he responded. She looked at him questioningly.

"So aren't you going to try to stop me?" she asked.

"No."

"Why not?" she asked, a little offended.

"Because you're right. You and Noah need to get as far away from me as possible. I'll just ruin your lives." She felt guilty for what he said.

"It's not just you…it's everything. It's Jazz, Bennet, the Petrelli's, and…this house," she motioned towards her old home. "I can't stay in this city. It's too overwhelming. It's too many emotions. I have to get out of here. I need to focus on Noah," she tried to reason. He held up his hand and shook his head.

"You don't need to explain. I understand."

"I love you, I love you so much," she whispered as she embraced him. He looked down at her and lifted her chin, so their gazes could meet.

"You too," he whispered. She could feel warm tears trickling down her cheeks. "And I want what's best for my son, and if that means me not being a part of his life…" she stopped him mid-sentence with a kiss. He pulled her close and kissed her passionately.

"I'll see you again, eventually. Maybe once your killing spree has ended?" she meant it sarcastically, but could sense he was offended. He looked down.

"Yeah, I guess," he said as he took a step away from her. "I'll find you again," he suggested. There was an awkward silence. She lowered her gaze to the ground, and could feel him staring down at her.

"There's a time and place for everything, just not here, not right now. I'll be back for Noah," she stated simply. She craned her neck to look down the street, listening to sirens. They were getting closer. "That's my cue…"

She kissed him once more, and with the blink of an eye she was gone. Sylar knew it was time to figure things out for himself.

*


	31. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

*2 Years Later*

Mira walked out of a small salon. She was barely recognizable with her short haircut which was colored a coppery reddish blonde. She slipped on a pair of oversized sunglasses and dug around in her purse as she listened to her cell phone ring.

"This is Andi," she answered. "Yeah, hey Marie. Yep, I'm all done. I'll be there in a minute to pick him up." She hung up and tossed the phone back into her bag.

Within a few minutes she was pulling into her friend's driveway.

"Momma," the small boy squealed as he ran to her.

"Noah!" she said with the same excited tone. "Was he a good boy today?" she asked as she swung him up onto her hip.

"He was a dream as usual. A little fussy at naptime, may have had a nightmare, but he was fine afterwards," Marie answered in her strong Australian accent.

"Did you have a bad dream, baby?" he nodded and hid his face against his mother's neck. The two women shared a sympathetic smile. Mira brushed his dark hair out of his face and stroked his cheek.

"Thanks Marie. I'll see you tomorrow," Mira said as she gathered up her son and his bag. She put him in the backseat and got into the driver's seat.

"So what are we gonna do today, buddy?" she smiled as she looked at him through her rearview mirror.

"Park!" he said loudly. She laughed.

"You wanna go to the park today?" The boy nodded. She backed out of the driveway and began to drive home. There was a small park a block away from her house with a jungle gym and swing set. It was Noah's favorite place to be.

She took her son inside and quickly changed into a tank top and jeans. She came back down and they slowly walked towards the park. It was hot and muggy outside. She wiped some sweat from her brow and looked down at Noah. He looked up at her, with his big brown eyes and smiled.

They arrived at the park. She watched him as he followed around a little girl about the same size as him. The girl's mother sat her in a swing, and Noah motioned to get in one too. Mira got up to help him, but the other mom lifted him into the swing and started pushing him back and forth. Mira smiled and waved. The woman returned the friendly gesture. She turned around to sit down on the bench, and accidentally ran into someone.

"Whoops, I am so sorry," she said as she looked up. A man took a step back and smiled.

"Don't worry about it," he said with a smile. She could feel herself blush a little. She looked away in embarrassment and walked around him to sit on the bench.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Is that your son?" he asked as he saw her staring at the small boy. She nodded proudly.

"I have one too. What's your name?" he asked.

"Andi."

"Nice to meet you Andi," he said as he stuck out his hand for her to shake. She smiled and shook his hand. She was intrigued to see the watch's brand was "Sylar"…what were the odds? "That's a beautiful necklace," he said, pointing to the golden dandelion pendant hanging from a chain on her neck.

"A friend of mine made it for me," she said shyly, as she ran her hand over the gold flower.

"Amazing work. It looks so real," he marveled with a smirk. She looked at him coyly. "I'm a jeweler. I make jewelry and fix watches," he stated. It almost seemed too coincidental for her to run into a watchmaker with that kind of watch. She heard Noah begin to cry.

She excused herself and ran over to her son. She picked him up out of the swing and held him. She began walking back with him. The man stood up and smiled.

"He's a handsome boy," he noticed with fascination.

"He looks just like his father," she said. Things felt awkward and she looked down at her son.

"Well, it's about dinner time, I've got to get him home. It was nice meeting you…" she waited for a name.

"Sam. Nice to meet you too, Andi," he put all of his emphasis on her name, like he doubted it was her real name. She waved and walked away. She gazed over at Noah, who was fixated on the man. She looked back once, to see him waving to Noah and left.

Mira noticed something on her front step as she approached the house. She put Noah down and let him crawl up the stairs behind her as she inspected the package. She carried the box inside. She ripped it open and started shoveling packing peanuts out of the box. She let out a small yelp when her finger was pricked by something sharp. She recoiled and sucked on the bleeding finger. She slowly reached in and pulled out a solitary golden rose. She stared in awe at the beautiful flower. She reached for her necklace and ran her fingers over the dandelion. She remembered that day with Sylar, when he had produced the little golden weed.

"What? No roses?" she remembered asking. She ran back out the door and towards the park. She stopped a few yards away from the playground. He was gone.

She let out a small sigh and headed back home. Was it really him? She thought to herself. She looked over her shoulder once more before walking into her home and shutting the door.

Sylar watched her from across the street, with a small smiled. He wasn't done with what he needed to do yet, but soon…soon he would be with her and his son again.

3


End file.
